Shapeshifter
by Leonahari
Summary: When Envy passes through the Gate to escape Gluttony's stomach along with Ed and Ling, his experience makes him the envy of Father in a whole new way. He is tasked with watching Winry under the guise of protecting her, while Father plots in the darkness. Envy/Winry
1. Chapter 1: The immortal ones

**I recently did a character sketch for Envy, and realized that I had a few things wrong when I wrote Fragile. Since I haven't written in a while, I figured I'd put myself to the test again and write an Envy/Winry.**

 **World:** Manga/Brotherhood

 **Note:** Mature content in later chapters.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Immortal Ones**

The bullet exploded out the end of the rifles barrel and into the target's hand. Riza Hawkeye let out the breath she'd been holding. Far below her nested spot in the bell tower, she could see her target rolling in pain on the ground in front of Vato Falman, Barry the Chopper, and Jean Havoc.

"Is everything okay?" Roy Mustangs voice buzz through her earpiece. She cocked the bolt-action sniper, sliding in a new bullet.

"A customer was getting a little fresh with Jacqueline, so I slapped him – it's fine," Hawkeye replied.

"You're brutal, Elizabeth," Mustang chucked. "It seems like the store's getting a little busy. Should I let you go?"

"It'll be alright," Hawkeye said, watching Barry the Chopper slowly approach the manic target. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but he was excited about something. He waved his arms into the air, and she saw Havoc grow tenser.

"… What's the matter?" Mustang asked.

She watched Barry the Chopper and Havoc face each other in the street. Someone was yelling, but she couldn't make out who it was or what they were saying. "A fight, perhaps," she said.

"Those customers really give you a hard time." Mustang's comment was nearly drowned out by the sound of heavy footsteps behind her. Her breathing shallowed.

"I think I have a customer of my own," she whispered. The earpiece fell off her head when she spun around. She pulled the trigger and shot the intruder between the eyes. Blood rolled down his fat head and body. The fat man gave her a wide, toothy grin, and red sparks appeared around the hole left by the bullet.

"Elizabeth! Hey!? Answer me!"

Hawkeye's eyes widened as the hole in his head slowly healed itself. When the skin had fully closed over the bullet, the fat man's eye's glinted red and launched himself toward her.

* * *

Lan Fan had felt this presence before: the feeling of thousands of bodies writhing in agony. The eeriness and discomfort of it was nearly impossible to ignore. She balanced on the crest of a rooftop, scanning the city before her for a sign of the _thing_. Whatever she was sensing had to be nearby. She mentally prepared herself for a grotesque monster, something inhuman.

She hopped onto a steel beam at the top of a multistory building. The wind pulled at her gi and the tassels of her mask. Looking down, she noticed the street market far below, but something told her the thing she was looking for was up high. One foot over the other, she scaled the length of the building and came around the corner.

A man with long black hair was crouched at the other end. The wind tossed his hair around his face, but he didn't seem to notice it. He was watching the street below intently. Lan Fan knew he hadn't detected her presence yet, and she took this moment to study him.

The feeling, the horrible mass of energy she was sensing, was coming from this man. But he didn't look inhuman. He was oddly dressed, but other than that there were no external signs that he housed thousands of human souls inside of him.

He was focused on the people below as though he were searching for something. Lan Fan considered backing up behind the corner before he could notice her. She might be able to observe him from a safer distance.

A gust of wind pulled at her clothing. She adjusted her footing slightly to keep her balance on the steel beam. His eyes were on her, amethyst and sharp. His mouth opened in slight surprise.

"…Who are you?" he asked. "How did you find me up here?"

Sweat dripped down the back of Lan Fan's neck, as she replied, "Actually, I'd like to know what you are and why you have so many people inside of you."

His eyes narrowed on her, and his mouth curled up in a smirk. "I was only here to monitor things, but it looks like you've given me no choice…"

He stood faced her with the wind blowing at his back. The long jacket around his shoulders billowed out around his slender form. Lan Fan gripped a throwing knife tightly between her forefinger and thumb.

She heard him sigh, "But I'm really not a fan of fighting."

Was it a trick? Did he intend for her to put her guard down at that comment? Lan Fan gripped at a flash grenade, pulled the pin and threw it into the sky above their heads. The man's eyes followed it up until it exploded with light. He shielded his face and Lan Fan took the opportunity to throw the knife. It embedded itself in his forehead.

As she expected his knees buckled and he fell sideways off the building, landing with a deafening crash into street below. People screamed and ran in every direction as the dust thickened from his fall. Lan Fan hopped onto a nearby drainage pipe and slid all the way down.

That was too easy, she thought. She approached the small crater where his body lay. Rock and rubble was scattered on and around him. She thought it odd such a small man would have crash-landed with such force.

He was still. She slowly approached him to retrieve her dagger.

Red sparks shot up around his body and she jumped back. She watched in shock as he lifted his hand and pulled the blade out of his head. The wound healed completely before her eyes.

"Fuck…" he grunted, sitting up. His face was contorted in fury; a dense shadow lay behind his eyes. "You bastard!"

He stood up and lunged for her with an open attack, which she countered easily by stepping sideways and embedding another knife in his throat. He fell again, but she didn't want to be around when he healed this time. She darted into the crowd of panicked civilians.

She could sense him following her. This wasn't good. How was she supposed to defend herself from an immortal creature? And to top it off, he was like a hornet wasp – relentlessly pissed off.

An explosion rippled through the air as the bell tower above them crumbled and something black and large cascaded down into the rubble beneath with a loud crash. Lan Fan darted into a nearby ally and notice the inhuman creature she'd being fighting was loudly yelling at another one, a very fat one.

"Dammit! How the hell did you get yourself barbequed like that?" she heard him yell. "Fuck, we need to retreat!"

She watched as red sparks shot up around him. When the sparks cleared a dog stood where a man had been. The dog bolted for the ally way, but Lan Fan blocked his path. The dog shook its tail, convincingly.

"Changing your form won't help you," Lan Fan said. She saw Alphonse Elric and the Young Lord, Ling Yao, come up behind the animal. The dog turned and growled at them, and Lan Fan threw a knife at it. It plunged into its eye and immediately the dog transformed back into the man with black hair.

Red sparks healed his wound and he glared up at her. Alphonse and Ling stopped, and Alphonse gasped, "What the – !"

The man was seething. He knelt before them and spat, "You… you're dead. I'll fucking crush you!"

"This man has an odd composition," Ling said to Lan Fan, making the creature look over at him.

"Fuck, there's more of you I need to kill?" The man grunted, furiously. He stood, shakily. The fat man popped up from the wreckage behind him and ran up to him. Lan Fan realized they were dressed alike in black and had similar markings. The oroborus tattoo was stained into the side of the slender man's leg, while the fat one had it on his tongue.

"Envy, can I eat them?" the fat man asked. This seemed to cheer Envy up tremendously. Fire burned behind his eyes as he shouted, "Yes, eat them! Don't leave anything behind!"

"He's the same…" Lan Fan said to Ling, who nodded. "Also, they don't die when you kill them!"

"Immortal?" Ling grinned. The fat man was licking his chops, and the one called Envy rushed forward to attack Lan Fan again. She swiped at him with her sword, but missed several times. Every time she thought she had him pinned, he'd slip away or avoid her attack completely.

He was fast, she'd give him that much. But she was defensive and every time he tried to sneak in on her, she'd counter and keep him at a distance. This cat and mouse game couldn't go on forever. She was losing stamina. He on the other hand seemed to be immune to physical exhaustion. Another thing her Lord would find useful.

Ling was thrown into her from behind and she fell forward into her opponent. Envy's grip tightened on her shoulders painfully and a wide grin spread across his face. "Finally, I caught you!"

Lan Fan shoved a dagger into his gut and he toppled over. She regained her footing and backed up, along with Ling. Alphonse had disappeared.

Envy pulled the dagger out of his stomach and straightened with a look of pure loathing. She had never seen someone look as angry as he did now. The fat one lumbered up next to him, looking a little put out. He sucked on his thumb like a child.

"I've had enough of these guys," Ling said, and Lan Fan nodded. "We can't keep this up all day."

He pointed at Envy, "Okay, come on now. Won't you just surrender? We won't hurt you, all we need is information about your immortality."

Envy wiped blood off his face and bared his teeth at them like a dog. Lan Fan thought if looks could kill, she and the young Lord would be in tiny pieces by now.

"Can I eat them now?" the fatso asked Envy.

"Yeah," Envy seethed, "swallow them whole!"

" _What do you think you are doing, Envy_?"

Envy and the fat one tensed. Lan Fan and Ling looked around in confusion. The disembodied voice echoed through the street towards them.

"Pride?" Envy gaped. His fury seemed to have been forgotten in light of his surprise. "Why are you here!?"

" _You failed to complete your mission and made a spectacle of yourself in public_ ," the voice said, coolly. " _Not only that, you let someone trespass in our lair. You are a disgrace_."

Envy's eyes grew wide. "Someone trespassed in our lair?" he shouted at the sky.

Lan Fan could almost hear the impatience in the disembodied voice growing with every word: " _Envy, you are careless. It's time you retreated for today_ –"

"But –" Envy said.

" _Silence, you scamp_!" The voice snarled, and Envy's frown deepened. " _Do you intend on making more of a fool of yourself then you already have_?"

Envy balled his fists. Lan Fan could tell his embarrassment was boiling over faster than his fury. He bent down and picked up the long jacket he had been wearing before and gave it a good shake to get the dust off. The fat one watched him with sad eyes.

"Time to go, Gluttony," Envy mumbled. He shot a look back at Lan Fan and Ling and added, "Hey, your damn luck just kept you from dying."

Envy scowled and turned around. He and Gluttony made their way into the dark ally and disappeared.

Ling let out a heavy sigh and hunched over. Sweat was beading on his face. He turned to Lan Fan, "What the hell was that? That was a close call."

Lan Fan relaxed her shoulders and sheathed her sword. "I'm sorry, my Lord. I failed to get any clues to immortality."

Ling smirked. "I don't know what it is, but they're definitely hiding something. And it looks like there's more than two of them. Also, we can probably use their infighting to our advantage."

"My Lord?"

Ling turned to her and grinned. "The transforming one, Envy… he's got a short fuse and he doesn't seem to get along with that last one."

"What do you have in mind?" Lan Fan asked.

Ling put a hand on his chin. "I'm not sure yet, but give me a couple days. If I've learned anything from the infighting of my relatives, it's how to turn them against each other with the slightest effort. If we can't beat it out of them, then maybe they'll beat it out of themselves."

Lan Fan secretly felt it was a bold move, but she nodded anyway.


	2. Chapter 2: Hostage

Chapter 2: Hostage

Envy is yelling. Gluttony can't make out many of the words. His head hurts with thoughts of Lust and her final moments. He missed her. Without her he had to look to Envy for direction, and he doesn't like Envy's direction as much. Envy doesn't consider his feelings like Lust did.

"…Lust…" Gluttony sobs, sucking on his thumb. A few feet in front of him, Envy screams at Wrath. He is very animated in this moment, throwing his arms around, and standing inches away from the human-homunculus as though he hoped to intimidate him. But Wrath simply waits for Envy to run out of breath.

"Why did you let them leave alive!?" Envy brandishes a fist at Wrath, who turns his back on him. "Why!? You know they almost came here! Your job was to exterminate intruders!"

Wrath starts walking away toward Father. This seems to fuel Envy's madness even more. "I know they're in the hospital, right? Go kill them! Make it look like a medical accident! It isn't too late yet! We can't make them get away with making a fool out of us!"

"…Lust is gone…"

Father has a hand over his face when he speaks, "Wrath, why did you not kill the Flame Alchemist?"

Envy stops and Wrath looks up at Father. "He may be of some use to us."

"You can't be serious," Envy spits at Wrath's feet. "You're just covering up for the fact that you fucked up!"

"Will he be useful?" Father asks Wrath. Gluttony watches Envy's mouth fall open at being ignored by both Wrath and Father. Gluttony knows Envy doesn't like being ignored, least of all by Father.

"I will have him open the gate," Wrath tells Father. "Roy Mustang is too kind. While that is his strength, I can also make that his weakness."

Father grins. "I'll leave this to you then."

Wrath bows to Father and turns back to Envy, who snarls, "You can't be serious about keeping them alive!"

Wrath frowns. "I'll reduce their troop strength and make fools out of them. Leave it to me."

"Wrath will be in charge of the Flame Alchemist," Father says to Envy. "You will not intervene."

Gluttony watches Wrath leave up the stairs towards headquarters while Envy stares after him, unable to vent his anger any longer. He walks over to Gluttony and crushes one of the metal pipes that lay along the floor.

"Tsk… I guess it's just you and me, Gluttony," Envy says, balling his fists. Gluttony looks up at Envy and wonders if there will ever come a time when he'll feel normal again. The sadness inside him sucks all happiness from him. He doesn't even feel like eating anything.

"I miss Lust…" Gluttony says, and Envy scowls at him.

"Oh, before I forget," Wrath says, pausing at the top of the stairs. He turns back to Envy and Gluttony, and adds, "The Elrics are getting into trouble, Envy. Why don't you make yourself useful for a change and keep an eye on them?"

"Get old and die already! I don't take orders from you!" Envy bares his teeth.

"Envy, we can't have our sacrifices running amuck on our plans," Father cuts in. "Do as Wrath instructs. Keep an eye on them until you are told otherwise."

Gluttony winces slightly when Envy turns back to him. He can tell from how his shoulders tense that he is furious at being squished under someone's thumb for the third time that day.

"Don't do anything stupid," Envy says to him, and Gluttony watches him leave up the stairs behind Wrath.

* * *

Alphonse stands with Winry at the front counter of their hotel. His metal body is strung together with rope and linens to hide the empty spaces Lust had ripped out of him. He holds the phone receiver to his metal helmet and listens while Granny Pinako tells him Edward hasn't returned from East with Major Armstrong yet.

"He hasn't returned yet? Has something happened?" Alphonse says.

Winry can hear her grandmother through the speaker trying to calm Alphonse. She looks to the hotel clerk and smiles. "He'll be off the phone soon, I promise!"

"…Father?" Alphonse gasps, and Winry looks up at him surprised. "Father's with you?"

She thinks back to Ed and Alphonse's father, but she can't recall his face. She remembers vaguely that he had blonde hair like Ed, but no other details come to her. Granny Pinako must have had little to tell him on that front, because Alphonse hangs up the phone, thanks the clerk and turns to Winry.

"I guess we'll have to figure out funds for our stay here, if brother doesn't get back soon," Alphonse says, and the clerk behind him frowns a bit.

"Don't worry about stuff like that!" A voice keyed in. A young man with dark hair pulled back and wearing a military uniform approaches them from the entrance. He holds out his hand to Alphonse. "You're Alphonse Elric, right? The Fullmetal Alchemist's _younger_ brother?"

Alphonse takes his hand with a small laugh. "Nobody ever gets that right – yes, I'm Al."

They shake hands, and the man scratches the back of his head with his other hand, saying, "Yeah, I've met Fullmetal a couple times and made the mistake of calling him short."

Alphonse chuckles. "I'm surprised you're still standing."

Winry is surprised when the man turns to her a bows a bit. "And you must be…?" He pauses, lots for a name.

"Winry Rockbell," Winry says, bowing back. "I'm Ed and Al's friend."

"The automail mechanic?"

"That's right," Winry replies. "How did you know?"

The man smiles widely, blue eyes brighten at the question. "Information is my business, Winry. Let me introduce myself: I'm Sergeant McKay from Logistics."

"Nice to meet you," Alphonse says. "Is there something we can help you with?"

McKay gives a small smile, only the left half of his lips turn up making him look a little unbalanced. "In fact, I've been reassigned to yourself and the Fullmetal Alchemist, effective immediately."

"Ugh… not again. Ed's going to freak when he finds out," Alphonse mumbles. Winry looks between him and McKay.

"I thought you said everything was settled now?" Winry asks Alphonse.

"Yeah!" McKay says suddenly, "If you guys are talking about what I think you're talking about, then we probably shouldn't have this discussion in a hotel lobby."

Alphonse nods. "Winry, let's go up to the room."

They leave the lobby and start ascending the stairs. Winry looks over at McKay, curiously. He is a little odd, she thinks. She can't quiet put her finger on it, but there's something off in the way he moves. Or maybe it was in the way he speaks? He glances over and catches her staring at him, and Winry hastily looks away, cheeks flushed.

They enter the hotel room and McKay closes the door behind them. Alphonse sits down on one of two couches, while Winry goes to the kitchenette to boil water for tea.

"Don't play host on my account, Miss Winry," McKay says. "You'll have to get used to me being around after all."

"So, how long exactly are you going to follow us around?" Alphonse asks, and Winry spins around.

"Alphonse!" It surprises her that he would be so rude. He raises his hands apologetically, and adds, "I'm only asking!"

McKay grins. "It's fine. The task is open-ended, or in other words, I have to watch you until I'm told otherwise and assigned somewhere else."

Winry sits down next to Alphonse and gestures for McKay to make himself comfortable. McKay sits across from them, hanging one arm over the back of the couch like Ed sometimes did. His expression is suddenly very serious.

"Now then, about why I've been assigned to you - " he says.

"Colonel Mustang must have send you," Alphonse says. "This is about Laboratory 3, isn't it? I visited him in the hospital earlier today and he's concerned about…" Alphonse looks over at Winry, who feels heat rise in her cheeks.

The kettle starts to sing on the stove and Winry jumps up to get it, but McKay stops her with a question: "How much have they told you?"

The kettle screams. Winry tries to string a few words together over its shrill sound. "Ed and Al have their reasons."

She runs to the kettle and takes it off the element. Immediate silence settles on the room. When she turns around, Alphonse is staring at McKay and Winry is certain if he was in the flesh his expression would be one of frustration. She's never seen Alphonse get angry, but McKay had clearly cross some invisible line.

When Alphonse speaks his voice shakes slightly. "This is mine and Ed's burden to bear. We have a duty to keeping those around us safe. If you really are in the business of information, you of all people should know how dangerous some information can be."

"Well put," McKay says, simply. He crosses his arms. "I see I touched on a nerve. Sorry about that. I'm just getting the lay of the land, so to speak."

He talks an awful lot for an escort, Winry thinks. She forgives it due to the odd nature of his assignment compared to where he originally worked. She imagines the same thought has crossed Alphonse's mind as well.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, you're not like the other escorts we've had," Alphonse says.

"You mean I'm not formal?" McKay asks and Alphonse nods. "That's because yourself and Miss Winry aren't military. We are three civilians here – the Fullmetal Alchemist is the only one I need to be formal around."

Winry brings the tea and returns to her seat. She has placed a cup in front of Alphonse for appearances, and isn't surprised when he ignores it.

"Tell us about your last job, Mr. McKay," she says. "Being an informant sounds interesting."

McKay's hand stops halfway to his cup. "Oh, well, I've just come in from Central on the Colonel's command, so I haven't been an informant for this location, I'm afraid."

"Where you stationed in the East then?" Alphonse asks.

"That is what I meant," McKay replies, reaching for his tea. He holds it in both hands carefully, blowing at the surface to cool it down.

"So, you heard about the uprising in Liore then," Alphonse says. Winry notices the statement and sees McKay's hands pause again. He's looking up past the rim of his cup at Alphonse, and there's a shadow something behind his blue eyes.

"Oh, yes…" he says, gently, "I heard of that."

Winry wonders what it means. She assumes it's in the nature of someone like him to know more than he says. She still can't pin it down why she's uneasy around him. There's something wrong in the way he – what? She can't decide what is wrong with him. Just _something_.

"I wonder where Ling and Lan Fan went to," Alphonse says, pulling Winry back to the hotel room.

"That's an odd name," McKay says, putting his cup down. Despite blowing on it profusely, he hasn't taken a sip.

"They're friends from Xing," Alphonse explains. "They're staying with us temporarily."

McKay's eyes widen slightly, barely. Again, Winry wonders what it might mean. He asks, "And you're expecting them?"

"Yes, they should be here by now," Alphonse replies.

"I've been here the whole time," Ling says. Winry and Alphonse jump up from the couch to see Ling crouched on the window sill. His eyes are trained on McKay.

"Ling! There's a door, you know!" Alphonse says.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Ling slowly enters the room, one hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. Winry watches his body tense. McKay's eyes are narrowed on him, a deep frown settling on his face.

Alphonse turns around to look at McKay and a little gasp echoes through his armor. Winry feels like she should be shocked like they are, but she stands dumbfounded between Alphonse, Ling and McKay. She glances between them. McKay hasn't left the couch. He simply watches Alphonse and Ling as they turn to face him.

"You're the shape-shifter!" Lan Fan jumps in through the window. "I've sensed you before."

When Winry turns back to McKay, he looks angry. His blue eyes have turned cold. His jaw is clenched. A silence lingers, and McKay leans forward and takes a sip of tea.

"You're the one they call Envy, right? Why are you here?" Alphonse says, "What are you planning? Tell me!"

"Give me the key to immortality, and we won't hurt you," Ling says. "You have my word."

This makes McKay laugh, but it's not the same laughter as before. This is cold, shallow. Winry takes a few steps back, closer to Alphonse. She felt something was wrong from the moment they met, and now it was confirmed. But _what_ is Alphonse talking about? Shape-shifter?

McKay, or whoever he is, puts the teacup down, and says, "That sensing ability you have is becoming quite a nuisance, human."

He stands up. Red sparks ignite around his body, starting at his feet and rising up and up. Winry's eyes widen as she watches him transform from the military solider to a man in a strange black outfit with wild black hair and violet eyes. He frowns, and gestures at them, pointing at Ling.

"So," he says, "Congratulations, you caught me. But don't tell me you're going to try and fight me again – we both know how that will end."

Ling smirked. "Yeah, with you getting your hand slapped by your friend Pride, I imagine."

Envy's entire body tenses and he glares across the room at Ling. "You're lucky I don't like fighting, human."

"If you're not hear to fight, then why are you here?" Alphonse asks.

"None of your business!" Envy snaps. Winry can sense he's ready for a fight, but at the same time she catches him glancing at the exits; window or the door. She realizes he's trapped. Ling and Lan Fan stand between him and the window, and she is on his way to the door. She feels blood drain from her face when she realizes he'll probably choose to move towards her, if he is cornered.

Ling seems to realize this too, because he says, "I don't want to fight either, and I want is information – information you have. What do you say we trade? I won't cause trouble for you, if you answer my questions?"

"Don't you dare use that condescending tone on me, human," Envy snarls. "I could crush you. I could crush all of you!"

"Yes, I don't doubt that, homunculus," Ling says, which seems to calm Envy somewhat. "That Pride character, though. He doesn't seem to recognize a value and power."

Alphonse looks over at Ling. "What are you – "

"Am I right, Envy?" Ling says. Envy stares at him. His anger seems to have subsided slightly, but his fists were still balled and his shoulders were still hunched. He looks back at the door, to where Winry stands. Ling continues, "Your allies don't realize how useful you are, but that's their loss, I guess. On the other hand, as the future Emperor of Xing, I know rare resource when I find one."

"You're not fooling anyone, human," Envy says. "I know what your game is. I've played it myself multiple times. You're more of an idiot than I thought if you think I'll fall for such a cheap trick."

"We'll see," Ling says. "I'm offering you a powerful alliance here, and a chance to prove your worth. I don't expect you to make a decision on a spot, but I'll expect an answer in the near future."

Envy smirks. "I'll let you know what my answer is right before I crush your skull, how's that?"

Envy turns and runs for the door. Winry is shoved aside. She falls to the floor, and someone jumps over her and reaches Envy before he can leave. Lan Fan has lunged at Envy and caught him in strong ropes. He tears at them with little effort and turns to her to attack, but she pushes something into his face.

"Get down!" Ling screams.

Alphonse throws himself over Winry to shield her from the blast. Winry covers her head, expects a loud noise and fire. Nothing happens. Ling runs into view with a cloth around his face. He hands Winry a tea towel from the kitchenette and she ties it around her head.

She looks over at where Envy and Lan Fan had been to see Lan Fan has shielded her face as well with a dark shal, and Envy is passed out on the floor.

"It's gas," she says to them. "His healing ability won't work against it, because technically it's not harming him."

"How reckless! You could have warned me!" Alphonse shouts. Winry gets off the ground, feeling slightly dizzy. "Winry, are you okay?"

She nods. "Yes, but can someone please tell me what's going on here!?"

"I'll leave that to Alphonse," Ling says, smiling. "Lan Fan and I will have to get this guy somewhere safe. We can't have him escaping when he wakes up."

"What do you have in mind?" Alphonse asks.

"There's an old abandoned warehouse nearby," Ling explains. "If you created some strong wire and a cage, that should hold him at least long enough for me to question him."

Winry looks down at the unconscious figure on the floor. He's on his back, arms outstretched as though he'd tried to break his fall, but fell asleep before he hit the ground.

"You're…not going to torture him?" she mumbles at Ling. Ling frowns and she immediately regrets asking.

"Not if he doesn't resist," he replies. It's a simple enough answer, but it leaves Winry feeling cold inside. Lan Fan and Ling move toward Envy. Ling takes his feet, but seems unable to lift even a leg. "What the…"

Lan Fan tries to lift Envy's head, but doesn't budge it. "Is this some sort of trick?"

"How can he weigh this much?" Ling asks, looking over at Alphonse. "Can you help with Alchemy?"

"I can probably lift him, but how do you expect to get him out of this room? It would cause a lot of damage," Alphonse says.

Ling crosses his arms, and Winry watches as he ponders what to do next. "This isn't ideal, but I suppose we could tie him up here," he says. "Al, can you work with this room?"

"Are you crazy? Ed will kill me if he has to pay for the damages to the hotel room!" Alphonse says.

Ling growls, "Envy will wake up and kills us all, if we don't restrain him now!"

"But he said he doesn't like fighting," Winry says. She thinks Envy doesn't look all that scary. She couldn't imagine he'd have what it takes to take on Alphonse and Ling together.

"You have no idea," Ling says, glancing over at her. "These guys are the reason Alphonse is all ripped up…"

"…And that's another reason," Alphonse says, and Ling's shoulders droop. "I can't perform alchemy until my arm is fixed."

Ling looks like the roof had caved in on him. Envy shifts slightly in sleep.

"What do we do?" Lan Fan gasps. "If he wakes up…"

"You two need to get out of here," Alphonse says. Ling and Lan Fan both stare up at him in alarm.

"Are you crazy? You can't take him alone!" Ling says.

"I don't intend to fight him," Alphonse explains. "You two antagonized him. It would be best if you weren't around. Let me see if I can talk him down. Besides, I don't think he was lying about having to watch me and Ed – he said the order came from the Colonel, but I doubt that now. I want to get some answers."

"Are you sure, Al?" Ling says. "If your plan doesn't work, there's no way you can take him alone and without alchemy."

Alphonse nods, and turns to Winry. "Winry, go with Ling and get out of here," he says to her, but she firmly roots herself.

"No, Al," she says. "Please don't send me away – I think I can actually be of use."

"It's too dangerous!"

"I can make that decision for myself!" Winry snaps. "You and Ed are always trying to protect me, but for once I think I can help you."

Ling glances over at her, one eyebrow is raised. "What do you have in mind?"

Winry frowns and looks down at Envy. She takes a deep breath. "It's a bit of a long shot, but bear with me. I actually think I can get him to listen to us. Ling, were you telling the truth when you said those things about him being a valuable ally?"

Ling smirked. "Mostly. A homunculus on our side… that could give us a huge advantage. Not to mention that shape-shifting ability of his could come in handy, and he could tell us what he knows about how he gained that immortal body."

Winry straightens and looks up at Alphonse. She can't see his expression, but knows he disapproves. Despite himself, he sighs and says, "Alright, but Ling and Lan Fan… maybe stay close by in case something happens."

"Of course," Ling says. "We'll know right away if things go awry, and we'll get you both out of here."

"I've fought this one once before," Lan Fan says, with a small grin. "He doesn't like fighting because he's no good at it. Not against our sensing ability, at least."

With that Ling and Lan Fan prepared to leave. Alphonse left the hotel room door unlocked in case they needed to make a quick escape. Winry sat down on the edge of the couch and stared down at Envy. She had never been a great actress, but she'd have to bring her best for what she was about to do. If she knew anything about the emotion envy, it was that those possessed by it were wildly unstable if they didn't get what they wanted. She'd have walk a careful line.

Alphonse watches her. He sits on the floor next to the unconscious homunculus. "What do you plan to do?"

Winry stares down at her hands. It will take too long to explain. "Just play along," she says, and she's grateful when he falls silent and leaves her to her thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3: How to kill a homunculus

**Chapter 3: How to kill a homunculus**

Homunculi. Immortal beings. Artificial humans created by alchemy. And somehow they are tied to the military. Winry mulls the new information over in her mind. Alphonse gives her answers to the questions she knows to ask, but he doesn't elaborate beyond that. It's all tied to the philosopher stone somehow, this she can deduce on her own.

Alphonse sits on the floor near Envy. He watches him carefully while Winry prepares more tea and a couple sandwiches. It has been nearly two hours since Ling and Lan Fan left. She thinks Envy could be waking at any moment.

There's an anxious knot in the pit of her stomach. She keeps glancing up to check the clock above the stove. The night wears on. She's closed and locked the window, but she knows Ling and Lan Fan wait in the room next door. Just in case.

 _"Why is he called Envy?" Winry had asked Alphonse after Ling left._

 _"I don't know," Alphonse replied, "but there's also Lust, who I fought, and Greed as well. When brother and I met Greed he explained that he is Greed because he is greedy. Maybe Envy is envious and that's how he earned his name?"_

 _"What do you think he's envious of?" Winry asked, staring down at Envy unconscious on the floor. He looked strong and fit. She thought his appearance was a little odd, but if it was appearances he was envious of, he could just change it. It convinced her that what Envy might be envious of was actually something non-material, something he could not reach for._

 _"Maybe he's jealous of the other homunculi?" Alphonse suggested._

 _Winry sat in thought. "Jealousy and envy aren't the same, though," she said._

 _"Why do you ask?" Alphonse asked. "Why does it matter?"_

 _Winry smiled at him and replied, "I want to help you and Ling, and over the years of helping my clients I've come to learn that in order to get someone to trust you, you have to try to understand them."_

 _"Winry," Alphonse said, uncertainly, "Envy isn't a typical person – he's very dangerous. Please be careful."_

 _Winry's smile widened. "Only because you and Ling have antagonized him. That would happen with anyone, Al."_

"Winry," Alphonse hisses to her from across the room. Winry drops some tea leaves into the pot and turns to see Envy shifting. She grabs the tray and rushes over to him. She kneels and places the tray on the ground next to Envy, and sits on her knees waiting for his eyes to open.

Envy rolls sideways and brings a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. He grunts, "Damn…"

Alphonse sits behind him, quietly observing. Winry waits for Envy to notice her sitting next to him. She feels her anxiety peek when his violet eyes spot her from between his fingers. She can feel heat rushing into her cheeks. Envy drops his hand and sits up, facing her. He is quick to notice the tray of tea and sandwiches, and also the empty room.

"Where did they go? Are they hiding? Cowards!" Envy snaps at Winry, looking around. He's about to stand, when Winry stops him:

"Please accept our apology – we only wanted to talk with you."

She bows, fully. Her forehead touches her fingertips on the floor in front of her knees. She can feel Envy watching her. There's a short silence, and Winry wonders what he must be thinking. Slowly, she lifts her head to see him. He's looking down at her with a frown, arms crossed.

"What is this, some kind of trick?" Envy says, and Winry sits up. "Why are you here anyways? Shouldn't you be in Resembool or Rush Valley? Aren't there better things to do then get yourself mixed up with idiots like that narrow-eyed brat and his tag-along? Well?"

He knows of me. At the mention of Resembool and her activity in Rush Valley, Winry feels her mind is immediately focused. What else does he know, and why would he need or want to? She thinks it must have something to do with Edward and Alphonse. As their search for the philosopher stone drags them deeper into danger, it seems she's been pulled along with them regardless of how much she knows or doesn't. It is inevitable, she thinks. Inevitable that she would be here now, face to face with a presumed enemy – an homunculus.

Her silence only seems to humour Envy. He smirks. "Didn't realize I knew about you, eh? Don't go thinking your special or anything – it's my job."

"Of course," Winry says, bowing her head a bit. She slides the try towards him. "I thought you might be hungry."

He looks down at the tray with distain. "Who do I look like, Gluttony?"

"Uh – no," she replies without completely understanding the question. She notices a small grin is spreading on his face, and thinks it must please him to see her squirm.

Envy stands up and stretches. "That Xingese friend of yours is lucky. I'm not really in the mood to hunt him down right now. I have more important things to worry about – namely…" He looks around and finally spots Alphonse, "That's where you were."

Alphonse clambers to his feet. "So you really have been asked to watch me and Ed?"

"Yeah," Envy turns back to Winry, who picks up the tray and stands. He narrows his violet eyes on her, and adds, "And now that you know, I can't allow you to leave my sight."

Winry feels a sudden chill run through her as though someone had thrown a bucket of ice water over her head. Envy puts a hand on his face and shakes his head, scowling. "This is such a mess. If you guys had just let me do my job, nobody would be in this situation. But you humans always need to do things the hard way."

"So who told you to watch us? It wasn't the Colonel, obviously," Alphonse asks. Winry is staring down at the tea tray. She'd have to stay in Central, but for how long? Was she in immediate danger? She'd have to call Garfield and ask for an extended stay.

"You're not going to cry are you?" Envy says, and when Winry looks up at him he's wearing a wide grin. He mocks her with every move he makes, and she suddenly realizes how tied to envy he really is. He always has to be one step ahead, or at least believe it.

"You…" Winry says, trying to sound quiet, "You wouldn't let me call my boss, would you? I – I have to make arrangements."

Envy waves his hands in the air and smirks. "Consider them made – I'll do it for you. Can't have you calling and warning any more humans."

There is a red flash of light and Winry stares back at Winry. Alphonse gasps, and shouts, "You can't just keep her from contacting other people! What if I went and told someone? You can't stop me or brother from saying something to the Colonel!"

"That's a different situation," Envy smirked, transforming back into himself. "I'm not the only homunculus watching you and Fullmetal pipsqueak. And if you cause trouble…" Envy steps in closer to Winry, who tenses. The tray shakes in her hands. When he leans in, she can feel his warm breath on her neck. "…now I have collateral."

Alphonse's fist is balled. With one arm missing, he really can't do anything to Envy and he knows it. Winry can tell it's taking everything in him to contain himself. She remembers her resolve. Despite the anxious knot in her chest, she says, "It's okay, Al. I'll be fine – just don't do anything crazy, like he says."

Envy smiles, his eyes cold. He turns to stare at Alphonse, and says, "See? She understands – don't do anything stupid, and you won't have anything to worry about. This will go smoothly for everyone. But if you cross a line, I'll have to kill her."

His hand is at the back of her neck, under her hair. Winry can't help the tremble in her hands, her heart pounds against her ribcage. A dark grin is spreading across Envy's face. "You only have one option, and that's to go along with your life and don't get in our way anymore. Well now, that's nice and easy to understand, isn't it? Don't think too hard about it."

* * *

"So that's how it is," Ling says. He and Lan Fan returned to the room after a while when they didn't hear any fighting. They were surprised to find Alphonse and Winry sitting side by side on the couch and Envy leaning against the wall behind them. Ling listened carefully as they explained the situation – Winry a hostage, and Alphonse and Edward on a leash. It's the perfect situation for the homunculi. But why go to such lengths? What are they trying to hide?

Envy watches him and Lan Fan with his arms crossed. Ling thinks he is too sure of himself, too confident they will agree to his terms. Ling knows better than to stir the water while the mud has settled. He will wait for the opportune time.

"And I suppose you won't tell us anything about immortality in the meantime?" Ling asks, hopefully. Envy snickers, and counters with his own question, "How about letting me know how you can sense what I am and how many more can do it?"

Ling frowns and falls silent. That is his only trump card. He crosses his arms.

Winry turns to Alphonse. "Al, you mentioned your Father when you were on the phone. I forgot to ask…"

"Your Father?" Ling asks, and Alphonse nods.

"Yes," he replies. "My Father's been missing for nearly 10 years. Granny said he just turned up in Resembool."

"Considering the circumstances, I'd say you probably should stay here," Ling says with a sidelong look at Envy, who looked extremely bored. He was staring at something on the carpet.

"I wouldn't go to meet him anyways," Alphonse replies. "We're not exactly close, and I don't have many memories of him. Although, I would really like to ask him about some things in alchemy – he's extremely capable. If Ed shows up, I can see them butting heads. Ed might even try to beat him up."

Winry sighs. "I can certainly imagine that."

Alphonse looks over at Ling. "Do you have a good relationship with your Father?"

"I've never had a conversation with my Father, so I don't know if we would have a good relationship or not," Ling says, and Winry immediately pales and apologizes for Alphonse's question.

"Is it something I shouldn't have asked?" Alphonse rubs the back of his metal head with his only arm. "Sorry about that."

"Well, my Father is the Emperor himself, so what do you think of that?" Ling says. "He's not someone you can easily talk to."

Envy snorted loudly into the room and started to laugh. "You're a prince!?"

Ling would have sent Lan Fan after him for mocking him, but he wasn't the only one – Winry and Alphonse were doubled over trying to contain their laughter. Winry's face was bright red.

"We thought you were joking when you said that stuff about becoming the Emperor of Xing…" Alphonse says through fits of laughter.

Ling turns to Lan Fan. "I'm being made fun of…"

"Shall I just kill them?" Lan Fan replies, and for a spilt second he wouldn't put it past her. There's a twitch in his eyebrow.

"Sorry," Winry gasps, "This is just too much for us to handle…"

"You know, Winry," Ling smirks. "If you marry me, you could become the future Empress, move up the social latter… How about it?"

Alphonse is still laughing, but Ling notices Envy's smile has disappeared. Winry giggles and leans in and slaps Ling clean across the face. "I just can't," she says, sitting back down, "there's a guy in this country somewhere who needs my skills as an automail mechanic."

Lan Fan isn't pleased, but Ling applauds Winry's confidence.

"But how can the son of an emperor go around begging for food and fainting in the streets?" Alphonse says. "That's pretty low."

"Agreed," Envy quips from the background.

Ling glances at Lan Fan. "There's what, 20 more sons to the emperor?"

"29 sons, actually," she corrects him, "and 19 daughters."

At Winry's shocked look, Lan Fan continues, "Xing is a country formed by the congregation of 50 clans. Each clan offers a daughter to the emperor to take as his concubine and bear a child."

"My mother was Yao Clan's representative to marry the emperor, and I'm the fruit of that marriage," Ling explains. "Thus, his 12th son. I have enough of a claim on the throne, but succession falls to the next in line. The emperor is bed-ridden and the clans are scrambling to be the next in power – war is upon my people. Whomever becomes the next emperor could execute the ones currently trying to claim it."

"So, that's why you're after Immortality," Alphonse says, "because of the possibility of your death…"

Ling nodded. "Even bringing back the way to become immortal would raise my clan up into favor with the Emperor and I would be chosen by him to become his successor. Now, that I understand what makes you immortal, Al, it helps, but the homunculi are on a different level. When Lan Fan fought Envy and the fat one, she was landing killing blows and they would just heal instantly and get up again. With that kind of power, I could rule Xing – I could become the greatest emperor in history!"

Envy studies him with a frown. Ling can tell he hangs on every word, even if he doesn't look like it. "You sound like Greed," he says. "He talked all big like that too before he got himself boiled."

Alphonse spun in his seat to look back at Envy. "Boiled? You mean he's dead?"

"Yup," Envy says, cheerfully. "No more Greed. All that talk and look where it got him. Tsk, idiot should have known better than to turn on us."

Ling uncrosses his arms and leans forward. "So, this Greed character went rogue and you guys stomped him out? That's pretty harsh."

"We wouldn't have bothered him if he had kept to himself," Envy says.

"But he kidnapped me and almost killed Ed," Alphonse says, despite Winry's wide eyes. Envy watches him with a frown. "Interesting, and now you're sent to watch us. So that means we're important to you homunculi somehow."

Envy's frown deepened.

"That and now I know the homunculi, no matter how powerful, can be killed," Ling says. "And I bet you still get hungry and tired, don't you, Envy? So maybe affixing the soul is the only way to go, except that the blood seal is so fragile…"

"It's useless, Ling," Alphonse says. "This body is a ticking time bomb. A soul is not meant to be affixed to armor. Eventually, my soul will leave this body in search of the real one. It could be 10 years from now, 1000 years, or even tomorrow."

Winry furrows her brow in concern at Alphonse. Her eyes grow slowly wider. "How can that be…" she mumbles. "Then if you don't get into your original body as soon as possible –"

"Please hold on," Ling says, holding up a hand for her to stop talking. Winry balls her fists in her lap in frustration. "If the state of your body were to become dangerous, isn't it possible to transfer your soul to another body and live on?"

"But he feels nothing and doesn't eat or sleep!" Winry says.

Ling shrugs. "Isn't that convenient?"

Winry stands, fists clasped at her sides. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Ling, Lan Fan and Alphonse stare up at her in shocked silence. Envy's eyes are wide and watchful. Winry's lips thin. She says, quietly, "Excuse me," and makes for the door.

Envy frowns when she leaves the room and slams the door behind her. He kicks off from the wall and starts to follow her. Ling is surprised when Alphonse doesn't get up to stop Envy. The door closes again, gentler this time, and Envy is gone.

Ling looks over at Alphonse. "You're actually going to let that monster watch your friend?"

"As long as I don't break his rules, Winry won't get hurt," Alphonse says.

"And you actually believe him?"

"No, but what do you want me to do!?" Alphonse snaps. "I can't exactly fight him in this condition, and neither can you. When brother gets back, we'll deal with it, okay?"

Ling frowns. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Winry has to let him in. When Envy knocks and finds the door unlocked, she has to let him in. She tries to hide her face in her pillow, feels embarrassment creep into her mind. The window's open, and the pitter-patter of rain hitting the sill keeps her grounded. Envy closes the door behind him and she can't hear his footsteps into the room.

"Nice display," he says, smirking. "I like it when humans get worked up over nothing."

She turns over to see he's taken a seat at the small table in the far corner. He puts his feet up on the other chair and leans his head back against the wall. He seems content to sit there in the dark with her and wait it out, and she finds she's unbothered by his presence.

"Your body isn't like Al's, right?" Winry asks. "You sleep and feel pain…"

Envy's eyes are closed. She can't see his expression for the dark. At first she doesn't think he'll respond, but then: "We homunculi are different then you humans – even Al. Al is still only human. The only difference is Fullmetal had to go through the Gate to get him back from the other side. His body isn't a body at all, and if it breaks he won't come back."

Winry squeezes the pillow in her arms a little tighter. The thought of losing Alphonse, especially that it could come so soon, makes her eyes well up with tears. She pushes the thought away and focuses on the next topic. "Ling said you're immortal, though. Is that true?"

"Yes… and no," Envy says simply. He opens his eyes and looks over at her. "I won't go into details. You probably won't understand it anyways."

Winry feels annoyed by the assumption, but quickly remembers who it is she talks to. She lets it slide. "Please tell me," she says, forcing politeness for the sake of trying to keep Envy focused.

It surprises her when Envy's face breaks into a wide smile. It's not the same dark gloating grin she'd seen earlier. It makes her feel at ease, and yet, it doesn't. She doesn't know how to react in that moment. For loss of what to do, she returns a smile of her own.

"Well, aren't you just a curious one," Envy says. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. Basically, I have a rejuvenation ability that keeps me from dying, but that ability isn't indefinite. Once I've used it up, I've used it up."

And that's how you kill a homunculus. Winry files this piece of information away to tell Edward. She doubts Envy meant to let that tidbit slip, doubts he even realizes what he did. She asks, "But you still feel pain?"

"Yeah, it still hurts if I get injured," Envy says.

"And that's why you don't like fighting?" Winry asks.

Envy grins. "Bingo!"

"But if you didn't use up your rejuvenation ability, then you'd live forever?" Winry asks, and she can see Envy frown. She wonders if he realizes that he's shared with her the key to his fate.

"No, I'd eventually die," he says, and this answer surprises her. "I'd just live a really, really, really long time. At my core, I use energy like a fire uses wood. Eventually, the wood will run out, and then the fire dies."

Winry is struck by the sudden sadness in his voice. He tries to mask it with a smile, and says, "Good job, I'm impressed you understood all that."

He is demeaning, but it's a cover up. Winry's certain of it. "Thanks for the compliment," she says, noticing that this seems to please him. He closes his eyes again and leans his head back against the wall.

Another question surfaces in her mind. She wonders if she ought to ask him or if she should leave well enough alone. Curiosity gets the best of her. "Can I ask you something, Envy?"

"Hm?"

"Do homunculi have family?" As soon as the words left her lips, Envy's frown returned. He opens his eyes and stares across the room at her. She realizes she must have crossed some invisible line and regrets asking.

"Has anyone ever told you, you ask too many questions?" he says. She bites her lip and puts her head down on the pillow. There's a bowl of fruit on the table and Envy picks an apple out of the bunch and takes a bite. With that, the topic is dropped.

She thinks on the word _envy_ , tries to understand what influences it. She remembers in literature at school, envy being the emotion that destroys people; it causes them to be unpredictable and self-destructive. Envy always wants but can never have – this primary rule is repeated over and over again. She thinks if Envy is pure envy, then he must be tortured by his own design. It is a cycle he can never break. She feels pity for him, but knows to best keep it to herself.

She feels sleep creeping in, and wonders if he'll be leaving her to the privacy of her own room or if he intends on staying put.

"Are you going to sit there all night?" she asks. "That chair can't be comfortable."

"I'm not leaving," he states, flatly, "and yes, the chair isn't the greatest, but I highly doubt you'd share the bed."

Winry feels heat creep into her cheeks. "Well, I have to change into my pajamas," she says. "Can you give me some privacy?"

"My eyes are closed," he says, "and believe me, I'm not interested in you, human. Don't flatter yourself."

Winry feels a pang of annoyance. She sits up in bed, and grabs her pajamas. She pulls the sheet off the bed and some laces from her shoes and ties up one corner to the coat hanger near the door and creates a makeshift tent to change under. It's awkward and she trips trying to put on her pants. She does up the last button of her flannel jacket, right to the top, and steps out from behind the sheet.

Envy is nowhere to be seen. She looks around, confused. She didn't even hear him leave, didn't see the door open – and she was standing right next to it! She pulls the sheet of the coat hanger and walks over to the bed. If he was going to leave her alone after all, why didn't he just say so?

She sits on the edge of the mattress, feeling slightly worried. After all his talk about not letting her out of his sight, why would he just leave? Did he change his mind?

She settles into bed, but her mind is whirring with thought. It is possible he can see her without needing to be in the same room. If he can transform himself, maybe he's made himself very small to make her think she's alone. She assumes that might be the case. Sleep starts to creep into her bones again, and she tries to free her mind from thoughts so that she can drift with it.

Edward will sort it out when he gets here, she thinks. If anyone can get her out of this mess, it's Edward. And with that thought, she closes her eyes and falls into a light sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Enamored

**Chapter 4: Enamored**

"What do you mean a homunculus is watching us?" Edward yelled. Alphonse and Winry cowered slightly at the loudness of his voice. Ling and Lan Fan waited outside the room, where they had promptly been shut out of the conversation. It was the next morning, and Edward had arrived on the early train. "So you mean, Envy just came up to you and said he was ordered to watch you?"

"That's pretty much how it went," Winry said.

"If you don't count the part where Lan Fan knocked him out with sleeping gas for four hours," Alphonse added.

Edward furrowed his brow. "So where is he now, then?"

"He left last night," Winry said. "And I haven't seen him at all."

"But that doesn't mean anything," Alphonse replied. "He could change into anyone he wants and we wouldn't know it."

"Except that he didn't want me going out and talking to anyone," Winry said, thoughtfully. It didn't make any sense to her why Envy left, especially after all the fuss he made about needing to keep an eye on her. "Maybe I'll plan to head back to Rush Valley after all. I can't be expected to stay here forever."

Edward jumped forward. "Wait! Winry… maybe you should wait before you book that train. I mean, at least stay for a couple more days. You never know… I might need some extra maintenance later…"

Winry blinked. "Why would you need maintenance? I just gave you a checkup before you went East."

Edward rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He gave a little cough, and said, "Well, you know, I might… might bust it up."

Winry fumed. "You're _planning_ to break it now!? What the hell, Edward?"

Alphonse made an awkward sound and she rounded on him as he said, "We intend on luring out the homunculi. It would be great if you could wait just a little longer, just in case."

"You want to lure them out?" Winry glanced between Edward and Alphonse. "But why?"

"We're going to catch one and get information," Edward replied. "But don't worry too much about it. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Why don't you just ask Envy when he gets back?" Winry suggested. "I asked him some questions last night and he was pretty forthcoming."

"Really?" Alphonse gasped. "What did you ask?"

Winry opened her mouth to respond, but Edward cut her off before she could make a sound. "You were alone with that monster?"

"Well, yeah –,"

"Winry, the homunculi are extremely dangerous! This is exactly why I didn't want to get you involved," Edward said. His blonde hair fell in front of his eyes as he spoke, and he pushed it aside.

"Even if you hadn't told me anything, which you never do, I would have been involved," Winry snapped. "The difference is I wouldn't have known I was in danger. At least now I'm not being naïve about it."

Edward stared at her. They had fought in the past, but this was different. She felt powerful in this moment, and she liked it.

"If you need information, then let me try and get it for you," Winry said. "Envy's not about to kill his own hostage, and he's pretty talkative without any prompting. I think I could probably ask him what you want."

"I can't allow you to do that, Winry. Please, I can't have you taking risks on our behalf," Edward replied. His frown deepened and he balled his fists. He turned to Alphonse, and said, "Let's go, Al."

With that, Edward and Alphonse left her staring after them. They left the hotel door open so that Ling and Lan Fan could come back in, and Ling looked out the hallway to see the brothers turn a corner and disappear. He turned back to Winry and said, "I heard everything. I think if you know what you're doing, you should go for it."

Winry's throat had tightened but she firmly told herself to hold back the frustrated tears. The words wouldn't come, so she simply nodded instead.

* * *

The march of steady cloud and the patter of light rain drowned out the traffic of the street below. Envy sat with a knee to his chest watching people cross the busy intersection. His perch was next to the hotel room window, under cover from the rain, and a perfect spot to eavesdrop.

Capture a homunculus – the nerve of those humans. His conscious was torn between wanting to stop the Elrics and wanting to see what would happen if they tried. Envy squirmed with excitement at the thought of Wrath pinned to the ground by an alchemical hand while the Elrics tried to interrogate him for information. It was a hilarious fantasy.

Envy knew Pride would rat him to Father if he let the Elrics take another step across the line. But really what could any of them do? It wasn't like Envy could kill Edward or Alphonse to make a point.

It would almost be better to play along with Winry's plan. Envy was surprised by her willingness to _use_ him. She was perceptive, he'll give her that – but she wouldn't be getting anything valuable out of him. He grinned at the thought of her trying to worm her way through his guard. It would be entertaining to watch her try, and even more entertaining to feed her false information that could lead her to disaster.

Envy spotted a red jacket and a suit of armor exit the hotel and run down the street. He sighed and prepared to follow them.

"…I suppose I'll go down to the station and purchase a ticket." He heard Winry say to Ling. Envy leapt from the ledge and landed in the ally way with a loud crash. A woman in the neighboring building screamed and asked if anyone else had felt the earthquake. He scowled.

After transforming into a hooded pale-haired man, Envy followed the Elrics' footsteps.

* * *

Winry handed over some change to the lady in the ticket booth and put her ticket to Rush Valley in her pocket. The rain had finally stopped, and sunlight started to peak through the clouds. She left the station feeling relieved. She half expected Envy to show up and stop her from leaving. She did have a few hours to burn before her train left, so he still had time to catch up.

As she made her way back through the market toward the hotel again, she felt excitement at the thought of returning to her mechanic life in the hills. It was simpler. She had had a taste of Edward and Alphonse's life and it was a little too adventurous for her liking. They would always be drawn to danger – reckless was in their blood. She on the other hand…

The market was packed with people; a lady and her children hovered over a selection of fresh fruit; an old woman was selling flowers out of a cart to a young man; and a group of business men laughed over tea at the local café. Envy could be any one of them.

The hair was up on the back of her neck at the thought of him watching her. She would never truly know unless he revealed himself.

He was clever, she thought. Disappearing after he'd been discovered was a smart move on his part. Now Winry would never know if he was watching her or not. She betted he was actually with Edward and Alphonse, since they were the two he was ordered to watch. But the thought didn't help her feel any less wary.

"Did you hear?" A voice muttered through the marketplace. Winry started paying attention to the people around her. "The Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother are fighting again."

"Again? Where are they so I can avoid it?"

"…They're in the East District."

Not again, Winry thought. She picked up the pace and headed for the East District. What could they be fighting over this time? She wondered if Alphonse had been in the wrong to tell her what he did last night. She figured Edward would have rather he kept her in the dark. Or maybe they found Envy and were fighting him now?

Her feet wouldn't move fast enough. She started jogging, following the sounds of explosions in the distance. Military vehicles were already pulling up to the scene. She avoided the roadblock and turned down an ally way.

She could hear Edward's voice in the distance, and she followed it.

"…we and many other alchemists make mistakes, but that doesn't mean we can allow you to continue this rampage. Scar, there's something I want to ask you…"

Winry turned a corner and spotted Alphonse and a man with dark skin. Edward had his back to her and his automail blade out. Alphonse noticed her and seemed to want to interrupt Edward, but Edward carried on talking, "Does being the avatar of God justify taking the lives of doctors who devote themselves to the people? Do you remember a pair of married Amestrian doctors by the name of Rockbell? They went to help in the Ishbal resistance and even after being ordered to help both sides, they continued to help the people of Ishbal."

"Wait, brother!"

"Don't tell me you don't remember how after they saved your life you murdered them in cold blood!"

"Brother!"

Winry felt her legs buckle and she fell on knees before the scared-face man. A drop of rain hit her shoulder. She stared up at the man, who stared back, and felt a chill run through her body.

"What?" she breathed. "What do you mean, Ed?"

Edward's golden eyes were wide with regret. "Winry…"

"This person… killed my parents?" The words escaped shakily from her throat. She gripped the hem of her skirt and felt her nails dig into the palms of her hands. "They were killed… by someone they saved?"

She stared into the cold eyes of the man before her. He was as still as stone. A frown was carved deeply into his face. He said nothing. Denied nothing.

"You killed them…? Why don't you deny it? What did my parents ever do to deserve…?" Winry dropped her gaze to the ground. Her throat tightened and she felt hot tears rise. "…Give them back."

And then the rain. It began falling in sheets, drenching her to the bone. "Give them back!" she screamed, watching the water pool in the dust and rubble. "Give me back my mom and dad!"

She saw it first, glinting nearby. It looked sad and cold. She felt her hand move for it, its black metal body slick with water. It held a promise of satisfaction that spoke louder than Edward's pleads. It was heavier than it looked. Before she realized it, she was pointing the gun at Scar, daring herself to squeeze the trigger. How hard would she have to squeeze it for the powder to ignite?

"Winry, put it down please! You shouldn't hold something like that!" Alphonse pleaded desperately.

Edward was inching toward her slowly. "Don't shoot, Winry! Let go of the gun!"

"So, you are the daughter of the doctors," Scar said. Winry was shocked by the calmness of his voice, how even his tone was. It felt wrong for him to be so collected in the face of death, she thought. "You have every right to shoot me. However, the moment the bullet releases from the barrel, we will become enemies."

"You bastard! If you lay a hand on Winry I'll –," Edward screamed, and Scar glanced over at him.

"The cycle of revenge can only end when both sides are destroyed," he said. "And don't forget it was your people who pulled the trigger first and started the war with mine."

"Please don't shoot, Winry," Edward said, "I beg you."

Scar turned back to Winry, his frown deepened with impatience. "If you won't shoot, then get off the battlefield. You are in my way."

He reached for the ground and bright red light exploded around them, sending gravel and cement pieces flying in every direction. Winry gasped and heard Edward scream for her not to shoot him. She was shoved back and when she opened her eyes, she saw red.

Silence settled. She realized she was staring at the back of Edward's shoulders as he leaned back against her, shielding her from Scar's attack. Scar stood before them both with his hand outstretched to Edward's forehead. He paused.

Alphonse leapt forward and kicked him away. Scar landed somewhere in the ally way nearby with a crash.

"Idiot, brother, are you trying to get you both killed?" Alphonse snapped. "Hurry up and get Winry somewhere safe. I'll hold him off."

Edward turned around to face Winry. She could feel his hand on hers and then the cold metal of the gun in her palm. She felt a deep seeded shame settling into her, and she didn't fully understand it.

"I couldn't shoot him," Winry mumbled. "I couldn't do it."

"Winry, please let go of the gun." Edward's grip on her hand tightened.

"I couldn't do it, even though he killed my parents," she gasped, "and he was going to kill you and Al too… and still I…"

Edward sighed and took her hand in his and began pulling her fingers away one by one from the gun. "Winry, you helped deliver a baby in Rush Valley and you gave me an arm and a leg. Your hands aren't for killing. They are the hands of a healer."

The gun dropped to the ground with a thud. Edward cupped her hand in both of his. On one side warmth, and the other side she could feel the coolness of his metal automail.

She couldn't contain the flood of tear that rose. The dam burst. She pulled him forward and clung to his jacket as she sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. The shame burned. The anger seared her insides. And yet she could do nothing about it.

Footsteps announced another person behind her, and Edward addressed him, "Officer, can you please take Winry some place safe?"

Winry pulled away, and Edward said, "I have to go help Al. He's fighting alone right now."

Before she could stop him, he stood and left her. She wiped her eyes on the back of her arm and heard the officer walk around to face her.

When blinked the tears clear she saw Envy standing over her with a frown. He was in a military uniform and she assumed he'd shown Edward a disguise before switching back.

He held out a hand for her. She hesitated before letting him help her up. When she was on her feet she didn't let his hand go, even though he seemed to want to pull away. She needed some kind of touch. She wanted to be held and comforted, but Edward had left. So, she would settle with Envy's presence, and the little comfort he offered.

"Time to go," Envy said, jolting her out of her thoughts. She remembered the ticket in her pocket and that her train would be arriving soon. All that seemed pointless and far away. She felt as though a different person had purchased her ticket, not the woman she knew now.

She nodded slightly to let him know she'd heard him. He dropped her hand and started walking toward the end of the ally way. She followed after him, trying to listen for explosions and sounds of fighting in the distance. Whispering conversations in the dark places of the city. But there was nothing except the sound of sirens and traffic.

At the end of the ally, Envy led her to a parked car and opened the door for her on the passenger side. She got in, and he closed it and walked around to the driver's side.

The engine fired up and Winry slumped gently against the window, looking out. The sky was a dark grey now. Rain had drenched her hair and clothing. She liked the cold in this moment. It rooted her, let her concentrate on something other than the pain in her heart.

She thought of Envy and how quickly he had arrived in the aftermath.

"You saw what happened," she said. She had meant it as a question, but it came out firm and certain. "You were watching everything."

"Yeah, you really showed him," Envy smirked, sarcasm dripped from every inflection. "Tell me, if Fullmetal pipsqueak hadn't of interrupted, would you have eventually shot him?"

She knows the answer before she even considers the question: _yes_. She hates herself for it. Feels filthy at the thought of how good it felt to hold him powerless at the end of the barrel. Seconds felt like minutes in that moment, and a part of her wished it had ended differently.

"I think so…" Winry whispered, and Envy started laughing, cold and humourless. It chilled her more than the rain.

She looked down at her hands in her lap and remembered what Edward had said. "Thanks for being there…" The words slipped out of her mouth. She had meant to say it to Edward, but she whispered them instead into a pause between Envy's laughter. He fell silent and glanced over at her, uncertain.

She realized her gratitude caught him off-guard, even if it hadn't been meant for him. She could tell he was thinking deeply about something, because he almost ran a red light and had to hammer the brakes to stop in time.

Winry looked over at him and saw him staring straight ahead, refusing to even glance at her. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and when the light flicked green he revved forward through the intersection recklessly. This new behaviour puzzled her, but she didn't have time to question it. They turned a corner and Central Command Headquarters loomed up over the buildings ahead.

"Why are we going to the command center?" Winry asked. The rain pelted the windshield, drumming loudly on the roof of the car. She could barely hear her own voice, and had to strain to hear Envy's response.

"I warned you guys yesterday about sticking your noses where they don't belong, and the first thing pipsqueak and his metal-head brother do is pull a stunt that nearly gets them killed all because they want to catch a homunculus. Idiots." Envy frowned at the windshield wipers. Winry let out a slow breath. She could feel the tightness of anxiety rising in her chest.

"How did you know about their plan?" she asked. She hated how shaky and timid her voice sounded.

Envy glanced over at her, and she knew without him saying it that he specialized in procuring information – that was his job, after all. She was sharply aware of her damp hair sticking to her face and neck. A thought crept into her mind: _if he knows about Edward's plan, then he must know I planned to get information out of him._

Her heart was pounding against her ribcage so hard she felt like he might be able to hear it. She watched headquarters rise higher as they approached it. What would happen to her now? Would they threaten her? Would they _kill_ her?

She realized she couldn't go to headquarters. She wouldn't just sit calmly and let him cart her away to fulfill whatever plan he and the other homunculi had in store!

If she got him to crash the car, or slow down a bit, she could jump out and escape. She lunged forward at his arm, tried to make him violently turn the wheel, but he didn't budge. Both her hands were on his elbow and forearm, trying to move it, but Envy simply looked at her in annoyance.

"Don't test me, girl," he snapped. Winry slid back into her seat. He was strong, much stronger than she would have guessed. She had thrown her entire weight against his _arm_ and he didn't seem fazed at all.

"What are your plans for me?" she asked. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I don't know what Wrath plans to do with you," Envy replied. He pulled the car into the valet spot at the front of headquarters.

"Wrath?" Winry said, weakly. Wrath sounded much worse than Envy. Envy smirked and left the car. Winry opened the door, and saw that he was walking around the front to get her.

She turned and ran, leaving the door open. Thunder crashed through the sky. She ran until she couldn't feel the drops hitting her face for the cool numbness of her skin. She searched for someone, anyone to help her, but nobody was around. The driveway came to an end at a busy intersection ahead where cars idled at a red light. People were eating behind the polished windows of a restaurant on the corner.

She had almost made it off the perimeter of headquarters' property when she felt a hand grab her arm and roughly jerk her back. Her body slammed into Envy's, and she felt his grip tighten painfully. She pushed against his chest, but his arms were around her, keeping her firmly in place. If someone were to walk by them, it would look as though they were in an embrace.

Envy sighed. "Stop wasting my time," he said. "You want to run away? Fine by me – just do it on Wrath's watch. That old fucker could use some exercise."

Winry looked up at Envy, and tried her best to seem unafraid. He was so close to her, even through the rain blurring her vision his violet eyes seemed to glow with a mysterious light. Inhuman. There was a strange sense of knowledge in his gaze, like he had experienced more, much more than the average person. For a moment Winry was captivated by wonder. And like a match in a thunderstorm, it was doused almost immediately.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he said, and she was thrown off by the defensiveness in voice, the raw insecurity there.

Of course, she though: _Envy_.

"Come on." He pulled her along by the arm toward headquarters, up the wide staircase and in through the gaping entrance that was military command. Naturally build like a fortress. Winry thought it ironic she accompanied, what would be considered, a state enemy through the belly of Central's hardened defences.

Winry was strongly aware of Envy's hand on her arm. His grip had lightened to a guiding touch, but she knew if she turned and ran again, he wouldn't hesitate to use force, even in the presence of other people. He led her through level upon level, and Winry was hopeful they would pass someone she recognized. She might have been able to flag them down, pass a message, plead for help.

Finally, they came to a room with a shadowed glass window in the door. Envy opened it and told her to sit. There was only a table and two chairs in the center. She realized it was an interrogation room.

Envy shut the door behind them, and Winry took a seat at the table. She looked back at him, nervously.

"Are you going to stay?" she asked. Just as the words left her mouth, the door opened, and in walked a very familiar looking man in blue uniform.

"Good afternoon, Miss Rockbell," he said, smiling. "I'm sorry about the accommodations, but due to the circumstances we need to make sure you're protected. You're an important friend to Fullmetal Alchemist, after all."

Winry watched him walk around the table and sit across from her. This couldn't be the homunculus Wrath, right?

"Excuse me, but who are you?" she asked, timidly.

"Oh! How silly of me!" The man stood up and bowed to her, saying, "Please forgive my manners. I'm Fuhrer King Bradley, and I've heard a great deal about you, Miss Rockbell."

Fuhrer King Bradley! Winry felt a rush of relief wash over her. She was safe. There was no way Wrath could approach and threaten her now that the head of the military was watching her. She thought maybe Edward had managed to send him a message that she might be in trouble.

"It's an honour to meet you," Winry replied. She stood and bowed back, sharply aware of her drenched appearance. Her hair stuck to the sides of her face. Her clothing hung limply off her.

"My, my," Bradley said, sitting back down. Winry followed his lead. "It looks like you went swimming." He gestured to Envy, and added, "Please go and get this young lady some fresh clothes and a towel."

Winry felt the blood drain from her face, and wondered if Envy would obey the order. She turned around to look at him and he was already making for the door. Just as he opened it, Bradley called to him again, "Oh, and maybe a couple hot beverages too. Thank you."

Winry was surprised when Envy simply nodded and left, closing the door softly behind him. Winry turned back to Bradley, and he gave her a warm smile.

"Now that we're out of earshot of him, I'd like to ask you how has your stay in Central been so far?" Bradley asked. He folded his hands on the top of the table and leaned back in the chair.

Winry was curious to know if he meant he knew who Envy was or if he was just waiting to drop the formalities. She figured it was probably the latter. "It's been just fine. Thank you for asking."

"Let me clarify," Bradley said. "Has your escort mistreated you or the Elric brothers?"

Winry felt her heart leap into her chest. This was her chance to tell him. She leaned forward in her seat and whispered, "Sir, I think we may be in danger!"

"Oh?"

"My escort…" Winry glanced over her shoulder at the door, expecting Envy to come in at any moment. "That man who just left… he's not really… not really human."

Bradley's expression didn't change much. His smile faded slightly and his eye seemed to study her more intently. "You mean to tell me that the man who was just here is not human?"

"Yes!" Winry gasped. "He's a homunculus called Envy."

Bradley leaned forward in his seat. "Please continue. What else has he told you?"

"He said he was asked to watch Ed, Al and me – well, not really – actually, I'll start from the beginning," Winry tried to talk as fast as she could before Envy returned. She told Bradley about how Ling discovered what Envy was, how Envy was knocked out by Lan Fan's gas bomb, and how he had decided to keep Winry under guard as well. Winry told Bradley about what happened with Scar and how Envy told her Edward and Alphonse were causing her to be taken to another homunculus named Wrath, who was apparently hiding in headquarters. After she had told him everything, Bradley simply stared across the table at her. She wasn't sure if he'd heard everything properly, or if she'd told it right, or if he even believed her.

"I see," was all he said in response. He sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "And how you feel about all this?"

Winry thought it was an odd question. She furrowed her brow, and replied, "I'm… worried, and confused… Shouldn't I be? Ed says the homunculi are dangerous."

"So, Fullmetal has told you about the homunculi?" Bradley asked. "Well, then, it won't come as a surprise that Envy is working for the military."

Winry blinked. "I'm sorry, but you can't be serious. I thought the homunculi are enemies?"

Bradley nodded. "Some are, but Envy has been working for the military for as long as I've been around. As you've no doubt discovered, his transformation ability is extremely useful for breaking through enemy defenses and gaining delicate intel. I can assure you he is trustworthy, and that he poses no harm to you. As for your Xingese friend. Please tell him to be careful with that sensing ability of his, or it could get him into a lot of trouble. The last thing we need is a foreign visitor destroying Envy's cover during an operation. We don't want to see him or his companions get hurt."

Winry's mind was whirring with new information. "So, do you know Wrath too then?"

Bradley smiled. "Yes, not to worry. He won't bother you."

"Then why did Envy say all those things?" Winry said. "Why did he say he was taking me to Wrath so that he could decide what to do with me? He kept talking about keeping Edward and Alphonse from… from causing trouble."

The door opened and Winry didn't have to turn in her seat to know it was Envy returning. He appeared and placed two teas down between them and unloaded a small folded stack of clothes onto the table.

"Envy enjoys taunting people, don't you?" Bradley said, smiling up at Envy, who frowned. Envy glanced between them, and Winry could sense he was a bit confused at why they had been talking about him. Bradley looked up at Envy and said, "I was just explaining to Miss Rockbell that she has nothing to be afraid of."

Winry watched Envy stare at Bradley for a moment. She wondered how old he was to have been with the military for so long. It must be true then that homunculi are immortal. He glanced over at her and she forced a small smile. "The Fuhrer said you have been working with military to help fight against the other homunculi for a long time. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"You really need to be more careful about what you say when you're joking, Envy," Bradley said. "You don't want people getting the wrong idea about you."

Envy's gaze travelled from Bradley to Winry and back again. Then he shrugged, held his hands in the air, and said, "It's not my fault she believes everything I say."

"You really had me going," Winry sighed. She stood up and bowed to him. "For what's worth, I'm sorry my friends and I gave you such a hard time. I'll make sure to sort this out when I see them."

"Envy has been ordered to protect you and to make sure Fullmetal and his brother don't put themselves in danger," Bradley explained. "As you're a close friend to the Elrics and with Scar on the loose, we suspected he might try to use you to get to Fullmetal."

When Winry straightened, Envy had a hand on his shoulder and a frown on his face. Bradley stood up and stretched. "Well, that's it for today. Envy, you should show Miss Rockbell back to Rush Valley."

The door flew open and Edward and Alphonse stood in the doorway. "Winry!"

"Oh, Fullmetal, we were just finishing up. You have a nice friend. Make sure you keep her safe," Bradley said as he turned the corner and left them.

"Yes, sir," Alphonse said, and exchanged a look with Edward. After Bradley was out of sight, they rushed into the room and spotted Envy disguised as a soldier.

"Hey, Winry," Edward said, "I owe you an explanation. I need to tell you about your parents; you deserve to know everything."

* * *

Trees rushing by looked like a blurred mass of greens and browns. Raindrops carved paths along the window, separating and joining and shooting out again. As the landscape passed, Winry leaned against the side of her booth seat on the train, as the details of her parents' deaths ran through her mind. Killed by a patient they had saved. Destruction alchemy. Scar. Each thread of the story unwove and tied itself back together. Homunculi and the military. Edward and the philosopher stone.

She knew Edward could look after himself, but she worried for him regardless. Something wasn't right – she could feel it. The pieces of a wider truth were scattered about in her memory; the things Fuhrer Bradley said about Envy; the promise of protection; and the silent war that raged between the government and the homunculi. She couldn't help but feel like somehow everything connected. And Edward was right in the middle of it.

She glanced across to the booth seat in front of her to see Envy, still disguised as a soldier. He had been ordered to take the train with her to the next stop, where he would transfer to another and they would part ways temporarily. His body was jammed into the corner against the window, his head hung forward slightly, lips open. She could hear his soft breathing, steady and rhythmic. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as the train had left Central and hadn't budged since.

It was frustrating. She had hoped she would get the chance to ask him some questions about everything that had happened. She frowned. They would be arriving at their stop soon, and she didn't know when she would ever get this kind of opportunity.

She nudged his shin with the toe of her boot. His violet eyes opened slightly. It seemed he had forgotten to change that part of his appearance.

"Hey, I have some questions," Winry said. "First of all, how old are you really?"

Envy frowned at her, the grogginess in his eyes was slowly being replaced with annoyance. "You woke me up to ask _that_?"

Winry crossed her arms. "It's not like I'm going to get another chance like this – so, come on. The Fuhrer said you'd worked for the military for a long time and apparently homunculi are immortal. So, I'm curious. How old are you?"

Envy straightened in his seat, putting his hands in the pockets of his uniform. "This is stupid. Why do you care how old I am?"

"You can't blame me for wondering," Winry replied. "I mean, the Fuhrer is probably in his 60's, which makes you at least that old, but he said you were around when he started working for the military. So you must be older than that."

Envy snorted and looked out the window. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you. How ridiculous."

Winry watched him stare at the landscape passing by, and it seemed he wasn't going to answer. She wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. Before she could ask again, he sighed, "You want me to guess…?"

She blinked. "You mean you don't know?"

"Tsk, I'm not like you humans who have to celebrate the exact day you were born in order to feel special," Envy said, and Winry frowned. "I don't even know the exact year, but I think I was created about 250 years ago."

 _250 years?_ Winry's eyes widened in surprise. She knew he might be old, but 250 years put him back in ancient times around the fall of Xerces and slavery. He studied her with his violet eyes and grinned.

"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" he said with a wide smile. "Didn't think I'd be that old, did you? You humans are so predictably simple-minded. I bet you can't even fathom what that kind of lifespan feels like. You can barely remember what happens in your childhood, let alone remember all the memories from an endless span of years."

"It is incredible," Winry agreed, which seemed to please him. His grin widened and he crossed his arms. "And you can remember everything? Even from your childhood?"

Envy snorted. "Childhood? Don't tell me you think I'm born and grow up like a human does."

Winry watched him. His eyes made habitual glances between her and out the window like he was bored. "What do you mean?"

"When I was created I was fully formed," he said. "Homunculi don't have to develop like a human. We are created with the memories and knowledge Father gives us."

"So, you do have a Father after all," Winry said. Envy's eyes widened when he realized what he'd let slip. A frown slipped back onto his face and a twinge of anger flashed behind his eyes. She didn't understand the sudden frustration, or why he wanted to keep it secret. If Fuhrer Bradley was right, and Envy was working with the military, then she wasn't sure why he still felt guarded to her.

"You think you're pretty smart, tricking me like that, don't you?" he snapped, glaring across at her.

Winry tried to defuse his anger with a smile. "Envy, I don't have an ulterior motive here. The Fuhrer said you were asked to protect me. I'm only trying to get to know you a little. Besides, I've never met anyone like you before. I can't help but be a little in awe of you."

He reacted like she had slapped him across the face. The look of surprise was plain. The violet in his eyes seemed a little brighter, softer. He uncrossed his arms and sat up a bit. For the moment, she assumed he didn't know what to say.

"I have another question," she said, carefully. She thought he might refuse, but he made a small sound in affirmation, which surprised her a little. She tried to relax, and said, "Al said they know another homunculus called Greed, and you told me Wrath is stationed at headquarters. I'm wondering why you're called Envy; is it because you are envious, or is it just a name that was given to you?"

His expression hardened and his eyes grew dark. She knew almost as soon as the words left her mouth he wouldn't answer her.

"I'm finished answering your questions," he said.

It confirmed her suspicions all the same. Envy, the epitome of dissatisfaction. His reactions to her questions, the way he spoke, the things he did; she had been observing it carefully. He was envy, in every sense of the word. And now that she had confirmed it, she felt confident she knew how to interact with him.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Envy. Of course, you're totally right. It's none of my business – but can you really blame me? I mean, you're a homunculus and I'm just a human."

Envy stared at her. She couldn't read his expression, but she knew he was enjoying having his ego stroked, even if he didn't let on.

Winry's smile widened. "I'm sorry, but you must have figured it out by now. I can't help that I'm totally enamored."

She might have gone a bit too far, but it was worth it for the slight widening of his eyes and the soft touch of pink that rose in his cheeks. He shifted in his seat. His eyes travelled away from her and out the window. He seemed to have locked up his jaw, and even when she leaned against the window again, she noticed he tried not to look at her.

 _Interesting_ , she thought, _he must not be used to_ _praise_. Envy would probably spend the rest of the train ride wondering how it was she came to feel that way, and if Winry's judgement was right, he'd start letting her in eventually. She grinned a bit as she watched him, knowing full well she had won the match this time.

* * *

Leonahari: Have you guys heard they're coming out with a live action FMA movie this winter? Envy will be in it. XD There's a trailer out if you search on youtube, I'd put the link in here, but I don't think it would be allowed...


	5. Chapter 5: Through The Gate

**Chapter 5: Through The Gate**

 _Wrath._

Wrath paused in step outside his mansion's garden as Pride's voice echoed from the shadows. "Yes, Pride, what is it?"

 _You let Scar get away._

"That's correct, and to top it off Gluttony was captured," Wrath said. He smiled a bit and stared at the lamp above his head.

 _You seem happy about this._

"I suppose I am," Wrath replied.

 _Why? If you don't do things right, you'll have to answer to Father. You seem to be getting a little soft, and letting the humans win._

Wrath clasped his hands behind his back and said, "I won't deny that I feel happy that we might be losing this battle."

Pride's silence was enough for him to know he'd hit a nerve. Wrath continued, "Ever since I was born, 60 years ago I've had my whole life planned out from start to finish, and I've played the role rather well. And now, after so many years of careful planning, things are starting to fall apart. Colonel Mustang, the Elric brothers, these foreign visitors from Xing… they're starting to get under our skin, we great homunculi."

 _What are you trying to say?_

Wrath grinned. "Maybe it's time we stepped back and let the new generation lead."

 _Wrath._ Pride's voice was even and controlled, but Wrath could tell it took a great deal of effort to keep it that way. _I won't tell Father about these potentially treasonous statements of yours._

Wrath chuckled. "I'm saved…"

 _But remember, the humans consider us to be monsters and with the Promise Day around the corner…_

"You don't have to worry, I'm sure old sly us will figure it all out. And in the meantime, I've sent Envy up to retrieve Gluttony so everything should be back on track again."

* * *

 _Enamored, huh?_ Envy's mind had been reeling since Winry left the train for Rush Valley. He remained, on Wrath's orders, so that he could retrieve Gluttony back from the humans. Wrath had given him very specific coordinates, but he didn't need them. He could already hear explosions and deafening crashes of falling trees beyond.

Grass padded the ground underfoot as Envy galloped through the forest. He fought back the memories of Edward's arms around Winry as she sobbed helplessly into his chest; how her golden hair curled slightly at the tips; and how her body shook against Edward's as the anger, sadness and fear fought for control over her. Envy had watched her collapse in on herself in the arms of Fullmetal, and felt his entire being want nothing more than to destroy Edward.

If Winry wanted Edward, then why did she say those things to him on the train? Was she so possessed by her human emotions that she couldn't help but embrace Edward after her confrontation with Scar? Or maybe telling Envy those things on the train was a strategy to get information about Father and his plans?

Whatever the reason, Envy didn't trust her. He wanted her, but he didn't. He wanted to kill her so that Edward couldn't have her, but he didn't. He wanted her to stop toying with his mind, _but he didn't_. He felt himself spiralling. He felt conflicted and he hated her for it, because if she hadn't of said what she said on the train, he would be in control. He wouldn't care. He would Envy, and she would just be another human in his way.

But she wasn't.

 _Damn her! Damn her to hell! Stupid bitch!_ Envy wanted to scream as loud as he could, but he knew it would alert the others to his location. He watched from the shadows as the Xingese woman with a missing arm got into the car with Colonel Mustang and a few others. They were planning on escaping?

That could only mean their plan didn't work and Gluttony is loose in the forest fighting the Elrics. Envy turned tail and disappeared back into the brush, back on the hunt. He had to make sure the sacrifices didn't get swallowed by accident.

It didn't take him long to find Gluttony and the others. Edward, Alphonse, and Ling were being pursued by him, who was rampaging through the forest, devouring everything in his path in his search for Mustang. Envy yelled for him to stop, and Edward, Alphonse and Ling stared at him in shock.

"The horse spoke?"

Envy smirked and red sparks ignited around his body as he transformed back into his usual form. He straightened, and said, "Hey, long time no see Fullmetal pipsqueak."

Edward ran at him, and Envy narrowly dodged his punch. He launched himself up onto a nearby branch and felt a twinge of annoyance.

"Wha… What's your problem!?" he said, wobbling a bit on the branch. "I'm not planning to fight you!"

"You've called me short once now and three times at laboratory five, that makes four times! Don't tell me you've forgotten?" Edward yelled, jamming a thumb at his own chest.

"What a good memory…" Envy mumbled. He hopped down from the branch and Gluttony came lumbering up behind him.

"Mustang! Mustang is here! Eat, eat, eat him up!" Gluttony growled.

"He's not here anymore, he already ran away," Envy said, putting his hands on his hips. "And besides, you can't eat the colonel. You know the rules."

Gluttony's shoulders drooped and he hung his head. Envy looked over at Edward, Alphonse and Ling. A small black and white cat hung onto one of the spikes of Alphonse's shoulder, and Envy studied it curiously.

"Why are you here, Envy?" Ling said. "Did you come to capture us?"

"Not today," Envy replied, and patted Gluttony on the head. "I'm just here to get him."

Edward put his fists up, ready to fight. "We can't let you take him, Envy – we need answers!"

Envy laughed, making Gluttony look over at him in confusion, sucking on his thumb like a giant toddler. "And you really think you'll get anything out of Gluttony? You'd have a better chance interrogating a rock."

Ling smirked. "Then, how about it, Envy? Answer some of our questions and we'll let you leave here without a fight."

Envy narrowed his gaze on Ling. He knew from his last fight with him that he'd get hurt if he tried to take him on his own, but perhaps with Gluttony at his side…

A wide grin spread across his face as an idea came to him. "Gluttony," he said, pointing at Ling, "you can't eat the Elrics, but you can eat him. Go devour that squinty-eyed bastard!"

* * *

Envy sat up. Liquid splashed around his body as he moved. His head pounded. Where was he?

A sequence of events flashed through his mind: Edward had erected a barrier between himself and Gluttony. Ling had been fighting him and winning. And then he had ordered Gluttony to swallow Ling. Edward jumped to save Ling, and Envy remembered reaching out to pull him back…

"Oh, fuck…" Envy got to his feet and transformed so he could remove the sliminess left over from the liquid. He didn't want to know what it might be.

He squinted into the inky depths of Gluttony's belly and saw nothing. He felt liquid pooling around his ankles when he moved, smelled the tang of copper and acridity of rotting flesh. So this is what being inside the false gate was like. This is what Father had boasted so much about, this failure? And now he, Envy, was trapped inside it for eternity.

Eternity…

Stuck here. He would never again see sunlight, or eat, or feel fresh air on his skin, or speak to another person. He wondered if his eyes would eventually adjust to the darkness or if he was also destined to fumble around blind forever.

He tried to imagine what that would be like to never use his vision again. Memories of sprawling landscapes, lush greenery, rolling hills, bubbled to the surface of his mind. Resenbool and the outer towns. The scenery transformed to desert, orange sand stretching for miles, dust clouds floating lazily over the heated surface. Then it changed again. This time to the gray, concrete structures of Central City, the multilevel buildings, the faces of the people in the streets. Central Command. Father's Lair. All the places he's been, all the things he's experience, after all of it, he would die here. In darkness and alone.

Envy let his arms fall to his sides, limp. He hung his head. It felt good to let the shame in for once. Felt good knowing nobody would be around to witness his final grueling failure. At least Pride wasn't there to mock him, and he would no longer have to put up with Wrath staring down at him.

As his mind turned inward he was left with only the feeling of hatred toward Father – he had been created to die.

He had known this truth for almost 300 years, had known that eventually his life would end and Father would live on as the perfect being. Perfection – it was impossible; no one could reach it. Perfection was undefinable, it's what made it the ultimate unattainable goal. And who knew better about unattainability than Envy?

He hated that he wanted to accept his fate. He hated himself for being so weak, but he had let the darkness in when he was created. It was all he knew how to do. All he would achieve here is death. At least he wouldn't fail at that.

Voices and the flicker of a torch in the darkness dragged him back from the depths of his mind. He looked across the vast expanse of black to see orange flame and two shadows twisting against a large rock in the distance.

Of all the people to die with… Envy sighed. It wasn't like he could do anything about it now. He hesitated before revealing himself, unsure of how they might react to him being there. He watched their small figures from a distance, saw the glow of Edward's golden hair and remembered how he wanted to ripe him limb from limb.

 _Blue eyes, golden hair, a curl of the lips as a smile appeared._ Despite knowing he would never see her again, Envy still wanted Winry. And now that Edward was stuck here with him, he was no use to Father; Envy could do as he wanted to him. Neither of them would have her, and that was just fine with him.

Slowly, Envy started making his way toward the two men on the rock.

* * *

Ling watched Envy sit on a rock a small distance away as though he thought being too close would start a fight. Edward was pleading with Envy to tell him where the exit was, but Ling could only think of the inky blackness and the next words that left Envy's mouth: "There is no exit."

No exit. They would die here. Maybe they would starve, or maybe they would take their own lives, or perhaps Envy would kill them. It didn't really matter how it happened, just that it was inevitable.

"Don't give me that, Envy," Edward snapped. "You're lying, I know you are. The moment we give up, you'll make for the exit and save yourself."

Ling knew Envy wasn't lying in the way a hollow emptiness settled behind his eyes, like he had nothing more to say. There was no use using energy trying to convince someone of a truth they would eventually come to know for themselves. Ling felt dread seep in.

"There's really no exit?" Ling breathed. He dropped to his knees on the hard stone.

"That's… it can't be…" Edward looked down at his hands, metal fingers outstretched. "But what's Al going to do…? I made him a promise… We're going to get our bodies back. I made him a promise!"

Ling brought his hands up to shield his face. "No…"

Envy watched them. Their suffering was bitter sweet. He sighed. "This is just great. All I wanted was for you to get swallowed, but now I'm stuck here too…"

Ling looked up and dropped his hands. "So, we really are in Gluttony's stomach then?"

"Yes, and no…" Envy replied. He figured it wasn't any harm in telling them, since they'd die here anyways. He glanced over at Edward and added, "Fullmetal pip – uh, alchemist – you've been here before. Don't you recognize it?"

Edward stared at him from across the sea of blood. After a moment, he looked around and put a hand to his chin. "Now that I think about it, I felt the same sensation coming here as when I opened the Gate of Truth all those years ago."

"Yeah, exactly," Envy said. "This is a false Gate of Truth – Father's failed experiment."

Edward's eyes widened. "What?"

"Your Father created this? Who is he? Is he Fuhrer Bradley?" Ling shouted.

Envy snorted and choked back a laugh. "Bradley? I can't believe you'd think he's our Father. No, he's just a homunculus."

"I knew it!" Ling said.

"The Gate of Truth I saw was all white," Edward said, thoughtfully.

"So, that's what the real one is like?" Envy said. "Even with Father's power, he couldn't create it."

Ling stared at Envy, who had dropped his gaze to the blood at the foot of the rock he sat on. Ling stood up, making Edward glance over at him, uncertainly.

"I noticed when we fought before that you're not exactly fond of your siblings, Envy," Ling said, "and they don't seem to be overly fond of you either. And when you talk about your Father, you seem to harbor some resentment for him as well."

Envy's violet eyes snapped up at him. A frown deepened on his face. Ling wondered if he had hit a nerve, or if Envy would brush his comment aside like he had done before. Envy crossed his arms and said, "Pride is an arrogant brat. I don't know why Father created him in the first place. He's a waste of a philosopher stone. And Wrath…" Envy seemed to consider his thoughts on Wrath before falling silent.

"I never understood why someone would continue to work with people who didn't appreciate them," Ling said, and Edward whispered, "What are you doing, Ling?"

Envy narrowed his eyes on them. "Is this going to be another ego-stroking moment for me in a sorry attempt to get me to work for you humans? Maybe you didn't hear me when I said we were in Gluttony's belly. We're stuck here. We're going to die here."

"Don't tell me that even if we could get out, you wouldn't want to make Pride and Wrath pay for how they treated you," Ling said.

He'd definitely hit a sweet spot there. The moment Envy's face broke out into a wicked grin, Ling knew he'd won. He watched the homunculus' eyes flash darkly.

"Hah!" Envy smirked. "Alright, I'll humour you, human – we're going to die here anyways, so why not? You asked if I'd like to see my siblings suffer? Absolutely. They deserve every ounce of pain. Pride most of all, but Wrath too," – he shivered at the thought and Ling could only imagine the horrors he was inflicting on them in his mind – "Pride always has the gall to show up at the wrong time and make a mockery of me."

Edward pointed at Envy with his metal hand and said, "So, if we had a way out of here, would you side with us and help us pump them full of pain?"

"Yeah, because that's our plan eventually!" Ling added with a smile.

Envy's eyes flashed enthusiastically as he said, "Absolutely."

"Good," Edward said, "because I know how we can get out of here."

Envy and Ling both stared at Edward in disbelief. "Seriously?" Ling asked.

"If we're going to get out of this alive, Envy, we're going to need your help to do it," Edward said, and Ling looked over at him in shock.

Edward nodded, slightly. "I'm not about to claim defeat in a place like this, and I have a promise to keep to Al. Envy, if your core is actually a philosopher stone, then we may actually have a chance. What do you say? Will you work with me?"

* * *

 _Work with them…?_

The palms of his hands were lined with filth. Crimson stains marred his pale skin. Envy stared down at them, felt the weight of his own shoulders, focused on the expansion and contraction of his lungs. This feeling… what was it?

The weight that constantly pulled down his body felt lighter somehow. He relaxed his shoulders. What was happening to him?

Blood pooled around his ankles. He could distinctly feel Edward and Ling watching him – he wanted to gouge their eyes out for staring so long – but felt that if he gave into his envy he would lose whatever new sensation was taking hold. This feeling. It was so fragile, so small, and yet he felt completely and utterly governed by it.

"Oi, Envy? Did you even hear a word I said?" Edward shouted, balling his fists.

Envy looked up from his hands and felt the familiar inkling of irritation and shame leak into him. And then it was gone. That feeling that had captivated him, if for only a moment, had disappeared like water between his fingers.

"You have a plan?" he asked, and Edward nodded and pointed at the large piece of transmutation circle left over from Xerces.

* * *

Envy was laying on cold cement when he opened his eyes. His mind was fogged with snippets of the strangest dream; a white light, gentle hands on his forearm, a soft voice whispering somewhere behind him. He had felt warm and enveloped in something soft like bed sheets or water. He could barely remember it now, only the sensation of heat and the unfamiliar stirring of contentment remained.

"Envy?" Father's voice shattered his comforting illusion. Envy shivered as the cold air of Father's lair brushed against his skin. He felt something shift against him and a weight on his legs.

He turned his head to see Edward and Ling were piled on top of him. Ling's eyes snapped open and Edward looked around groggily. When they noticed they were on top of Envy they jumped up immediately.

"Ed!" Armor clanged with every step Alphonse took as he ran across the chamber to reach his brother. Envy sat up and put a hand on his head. It was pounding painfully.

"People coming out of his stomach, this is strange…" Father muttered, stoking his beard. Envy looked around and saw Gluttony too. He was sitting on the floor holding his stomach, and stared at Envy with confusion.

A strange feeling rose up in Envy, something he'd never felt before. He studied Gluttony for a moment to figure out why he felt what he did, and what Gluttony had done to make him feel it. Anger with shallow disappointment. Envy had felt anger before, but never without the accompaniment of envy. He wasn't envious of Gluttony, he was simply angry with him. And the more he watched Gluttony sit there and suck on his thumb like an idiot, the more he wanted to smack him.

"Gluttony, you fucking idiot."

Father had been mending the Alphonse's arm when he paused mid-sentence to stare over at Envy with slight curiosity. "Oh, what's this?"

Envy was sharply aware of everyone watching him. He pointed at Gluttony and said, "Gluttony swallowed me and a sacrifice – the moron!"

Father looked between Envy and Gluttony, and asked, "This is strange. Envy, what is the purpose of your anger?"

"Purpose?" Envy spat. He dropped his hands to his sides and stood up. "I don't know what you mean."

He felt small under Father's stare. Father studied him for a moment before turning to Gluttony. "Gluttony, Envy is right. You need to be more careful. You know you're not allowed to eat sacrifices."

And there it was. This small, insignificant victory. It was a tiny thing, but the satisfaction that Envy got from it almost rivalled the feeling he got when he killed Maes Hughes. It was tremendous. Gluttony's cheeks flushed at being told off in front of Envy and the Elrics, which made Envy feel even better.

Father glanced over at him one last time before turning back to Edward. "Tell me, how did you get out of Gluttony's stomach?"

Edward and Ling stiffened, before Edward replied, "I used human transmutation and we passed through the gate."

Alphonse gasped and turned to Edward. "You what? Brother, how did you do it without sacrificing anything?"

"And by passing through the Gate of Truth," Father said, cutting him off, "you all arrived back here, correct?"

"Ed, don't trust him," Ling said. "He's not human. He feels like the homunculi do, but worse. Don't tell him anything."

Edward frowned at Father, but Alphonse looked between them. "He fixed my hand, though…" he said.

"Ling's right, Al," Edward said. "This guy may look like Hohenheim, but he's not him."

"Gluttony said the homunculi call him Father," Alphonse said. "I think he's the one who created them."

"What?" Edward gasped. He and Ling balled their fists.

Father turned his attention back to Envy as though he hadn't heard them. Envy felt unnerved by the look. "Envy, do you remember anything coming through the gate?" he asked, making Edward and Ling fall silent again.

 _White light, pale hands against his, a warm feeling inside his chest._

"No," Envy lied. Part of him was scared Father would remove these memories from him, purge him of these unfamiliar feelings. While at the same time, he felt a chill slide down his spine. He had never lied to Father before, never felt it necessary. He had always wanted to please Father. But his suspicion in this moment was greater than his desire to be forthcoming. There was a shadow playing behind Father's eyes that made him thing the wrong answer might cost him more than his guilt of lying.

"You," Ling said, drawing his sword and pointing it at Father. It trembled slightly. "What are you? What's inside of you?"

Father glanced over at him, and replied, "I could ask the same of you. Who are you? You are not anyone that I need. Gluttony, you can eat him."

Gluttony jumped up happily, and skipped toward Ling, but Edward stood in the way. "Wait! You care about my happiness as a sacrifice, right? Ling is my friend. Don't eat him for my sake!"

Father stared coldly at Edward. "It doesn't matter. I have no use for him."

"Alright, Al, looks like we'll have to deal with this guy and his cronies!" Edward shouted.

Envy gritted his teeth and balled his fists. "Who are you calling crony?"

Before Father could respond, the doors burst open at the end of the chamber. Dust exploded around the entrance and as it settled two figures became visible. Scar and a small girl appeared. Envy watched the black and white cat hop off Alphonse's shoulder and run to the girl.

"Shou May!" the girl squealed and caught her in her arms. "I was so worried!"

Scar stepped forward. Envy watched him scan the room. This wasn't good. Why were so many people in Father's lair? How did they get through the chimeras?

"Not many people here are human," Scar was saying to May.

"More of them?" Father mumbled. He looked over at Envy, and said, "This is getting to be a waste of time. Dispose of them."

"With pleasure…" Envy licked his lips and cracked his knuckles. Ling turned his sword toward him and frowned.

"What about our deal, Envy?" he said.

Envy smirked. "I wouldn't lower myself to actually make a deal with the likes of you. But thanks for getting me out of there, no hard feelings."

Edward clapped his hands and blue sparks shot up around Envy as the floor exploded into sharp spikes. Pain rippled through Envy's body as he lunged out of the way, barely escaping having his chest torn open. His legs and arms healed quickly, and he landed away from the group, feeling less confident than he'd started.

Alphonse was attacking Father, but couldn't leave a scratch. Ling rushed up and swung at him with the sword but rebounded off Father's alchemical barrier and landed on his back, skidding to a halt on the ground. Edward shouted over at Ling, but he had been knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile, May Chang was being chased by Gluttony, and Scar was watching Father from a safe distance. Envy watched the barrage of attacks unfold, until Father finally put his foot down and ended it. He watched the Elric's stare in shock as they clapped their hands and waited for their alchemy to work.

Gluttony cornered May Chang against some pipping, and she threw out a handful of daggers. They landed at his tubby feet, and he looked down at them in confusion. Envy gasped as blue sparks shot up around the daggers and Gluttony was impaled on a cement spike.

"How can she use alchemy?" Envy mumbled. Father was also watching her closely. Gluttony howled in pain. He rolled back and forth on his fat stomach until his philosopher stone healed the gaping hole left by May's spike.

Father appeared next to May, he had moved so fast it took May a second to react to him being so close. She stepped back, and tripped over a pipe. Red sparks illuminated the air where she had been a moment ago. She screamed in pain and landed limply a few feet away from Envy. With May out of the picture, Father turned his attention to Scar, who was staring with wide eyes – no doubt trying to figure out how Father could attack and defend with no movement at all.

Envy's gaze dropped to May, who was trying to lift herself off the ground. Her body trembled violently, and was covered in blood. She opened her eyes slightly, and stared up at him, terrified to see him standing there and watching her.

She shakily pushed herself up on her knees, gripping a single dagger between her fingers, she readied herself for Envy's attack. Her breathing was ragged. Envy simply stared back at her.

It would be simple to kill her. He knew it wouldn't take much. Her friend, Scar, was preoccupied with Father, and the Elric were still trying to determine why their alchemy wasn't working. Ling was lying unconscious on the ground on the other side of the chamber. Envy could crush the little girl with his foot, and she obviously expected him to make some kind of move at her.

But he just stood there wondering why he didn't have the desire to end her miserable life. He would have relished this opportunity in the past, so why did he feel different now?

"What are you waiting for?" May breathed, obviously on edge. She flinched when Envy shifted from one foot to the other.

He couldn't deny the fact that he just had no interest in killing her. It was odd. He felt alien in his own body. Had something happened to him when he passed through the gate? Father _had_ seemed interested to know if Envy remembered anything, but why? Did he know something he wasn't telling him?

The small girl at his feet had drawn a circle while he was lost in thought. She fell over into it and it activated. Blue light made her body glow and her breathing came easier. She watched him as the blue faded away.

"Healing alchemy?" Envy said. "And you can use it even now that Father has disabled alchemy. What are you doing differently?"

May shakily got to her feet and gripped the dagger tightly. She locked her jaw and Envy knew she wasn't going to spill any secrets, at least not to him.

"Ed!" Alphonse shouted. Envy looked up to see the Elrics had been pinned by alchemical cement hands. Father strolled toward Ling, who was just waking up and struggling to stand.

"On second thought," Father said, "perhaps I can use you. We are running short on henchmen."

Create a homunculus. Envy left May Chang to stare after him and stood in between where the Elric brothers were pinned down. "You're going to do that?" Envy asked Father.

Father ignored him and approached Ling.

"Do what?" Edward shouted up at Envy.

"He's going to create a homunculus," Envy said, watching with pleasure as Edward's eyes widened with realization.

Father produced a red droplet philosopher stone in the palm of his hand and held it over Ling.

"Don't you dare interfere with this, Ed," Ling said. "I came to this country in search of a philosopher stone and this guy's just going to hand it to me. This is what I've wanted from the start!"

"Well, then," Father said, "let's see if your body is as willing as your mind."

The philosopher stone dropped from Father's palm and landed on Ling's open wounds. It absorbed into his blood, made small ripples under his skin. It took a moment before he was writhing in pain, screaming at the top of his lungs. The teeth-grinding sounds of his bones breaking, healing, and breaking again, _crack_ after _crack_ after _crunch_ made Envy wish he was deaf.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Ling fell silent. His arms hung heavily at his sides and when he looked up at them all, his eyes were violet and cold. Greed.

"Ling?" Edward said, his voice echoing through the chamber. Greed looked over at him and his lips broke into a wide grin.

"Oh, you mean the owner of this body?" Greed asked, rubbing his neck. "Sorry, he checked out."

Greed's eyes landed on Envy and then went over to Gluttony. "And you guys must be homunculi too."

"Greed, nice to meet you!" Gluttony said in a sing-song voice. "I'm Gluttony, and this is Envy!"

"So, you're Greed. That Greed?" Edward said.

"That Greed?" Greed wandered over to Edward and crouched next to him. "What do you mean?"

"There was another avarice before you named Greed," Father said.

"Oh, that guy," Greed smirked. "Sorry, but I'm a different Greed."

"How is that possible…?" Alphonse said.

"I'll introduce you to your other brothers soon enough," Father said. "In the meantime, Envy, bring the Elric brothers to see Wrath."

Envy glanced over his shoulder to see that Scar at the Xingese girl had disappeared. Father must not have cared enough to kill them, or had faith he or another one of the homunculi would hunt them down eventually.

The cement bonds that kept the Elrics pinned to the ground disintegrated. They tried one final time to get their alchemy to work, but when nothing happened, they stood up. It seemed for now, they would admit defeat.

A scream of chimeras announced Scar and May's failed attempt to escape. Envy turned to see May weakly defending against a beast with two heads and a dog's body, while Scar ripped through a mass of them with his decomposition alchemy. The chimeras paused at the thresholds of the chamber and May's legs gave out beneath her. She crumpled to the ground, exhausted and injured.

Envy felt a metal foot hit the side of his head. He had been distracted, and Edward had taken that opportunity to kick him, but the kick left his automail leg steaming.

"What? He didn't budge!" Edward gasped. Envy frowned and whipped his arm back, sweeping Edward's legs out from under him. Alphonse yelled as Edward slammed against the ground, knocking the air out of him.

"Brother!"

"You want to fight, brat? You've already caused enough trouble," Envy said. "If you had just behaved yourself, we would have let you go by now."

Edward sat up and Alphonse shook his head at him. It seemed they would listen for now.

"Greed," Father said, "take care of Scar. His alchemy is a nuisance."

"Roger that, boss man," Greed said. He skipped away toward the chamber exit and started engaging Scar in battle. The two of them took the fight outside the chamber, the chimeras scattered to make way for them, and soon only explosions could be heard in the distance.

"Dammit," Edward said, as Envy began to lead them out. "Ling's still in there, I know it."

Envy stopped on his way past May, who was crumpled against the hallway wall. She was panting, and seemed badly injured, but watched Envy with one eye open. He considered leaving her to the chimeras. They would finish her quickly.

"We have to help her, brother," Alphonse whispered to Edward. The sound of his voice echoed through his metal body, allowing Envy to hear it.

He glanced over his shoulder at them, and said, "Take her and put her in your armor."

Edward and Alphonse both stared at him in shock. There was a moment of silence where they stood rooted to the spot, unsure of whether to take his advice or not. Perhaps they thought it was a trap. Despite not knowing for sure, Alphonse nodded, and ran over to May. He scooped her up and removed his helmet for her.

May gave Envy one last suspicious look before dropping herself into Alphonse's armored body.

Alphonse replaced his helmet as Envy said, "Keep her quiet. Wrath will kill her if he knows about her."

"Okay," Alphonse replied. Envy ignored Edward's confused expression and led them down the hall towards an elevator.

As they waited for the elevator doors to open, Alphonse let out two small words: "Thanks, Envy." And if it had been any quieter, Envy might have missed it.

* * *

Leonahari: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Super appreciated! :) Shout out to **jo, DanaWolfStudios, and Big Sexy Beans**.


	6. Chapter 6: Powerful

**Chapter 6: Powerful**

The elevator doors slid closed and Envy stood with his back to Edward and Alphonse trying to ignore the heavy breathing from the small Xingese girl hiding inside Alphonse's armor. Surely Wrath would notice…

Envy watched the numbers above the door illuminate as they ascended the levels to Wrath's office. The Elric's were uncharacteristically quiet, and he thought it might have been due to his incredibly rare moment of mercy – they were as stunned as he was.

Why had he told Alphonse to hide the brat in his armor? What had made him even _care_ to say it? Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Envy wanted to pull them back. He didn't care if the girl lived or died, so why…?

"Where are you taking us?" Alphonse asked.

A soft 'ding' announced they had arrived at the top, and the doors slid open. In a flash of red light, Envy transformed into a blond-haired soldier and led them out into the hallway. Alphonse and Edward ran out after him and gaped at the surroundings.

"Headquarters!?" Edward gasped.

"W-what's going on here?" Alphonse said, looking over at Envy. Envy frowned. If another member of the military appeared and saw Fullmetal and his brother gawking, it might raise questions.

"Hey!" Envy snapped. They stiffened and stared at him. His eyes traveled to the dried blood caked to Edward's automail arm, and clothing. There were a few specks on his cheek. Alphonse's armor was scrapped and some long line of grim ran the length of one of his legs. "You guys are filthy. Go take a shower."

* * *

Envy leaned against the wall waiting for Edward and Alphonse to emerge from the men's showers. As he waited his mind wandered. A lot had happened in one day. He had been swallowed by Gluttony; faced his what-seemed-to-be imminent damnation in the false gate; was offered an alliance by none other than Edward Elric; and became the first homunculus in the history of alchemy (as far as anyone knew) to pass through the real Gate of Truth.

Not even Father could say that. Envy had done something Father could only dream of. Bits and pieces of his moments standing before the Gate were slowly coming back to him. He could remember the white, the brightness all around him. He remembered thinking he must have died, that Edward must have used his entire philosopher stone and sent him to the void.

He didn't care – that was what shocked him the most thinking back. If he had died in that moment, then it had been painless, quick and unsuspecting. Like drifting to sleep and never waking up. It is how a human dies.

There was something else in the whiteness of the Gate, something Envy couldn't quite place. Was it a person? All he could recall was a blur of movement and pale color. Maybe some noise.

Envy leaned his head back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. It was like trying to piece together the fragments of a dream. It felt distant already, but he didn't want to let it go. He was terrified that if he let it slip through his fingers, he would forget it completely and then he would be just like any other homunculus.

And he would be no better off than when he'd been swallowed.

Somehow, passing through the Gate made him feel better about himself. He had noticed the way Father studied him. Envy had lied to Father about remembering anything about the Gate. He didn't want Father to take what little he had gained. Those were _his_ memories, they were _his_ experiences, and Father had no right to them. By withholding what he had learned, Envy felt the 250-year-old leash fray, just slightly. It was minute. And Envy knew it didn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things, but it made him feel something he had never felt in his entire life: _powerful_.

"Okay, we're ready now." Edward and Alphonse appeared from the men's showers, and Envy pushed off from the wall and started to lead them toward Wrath's office.

When they reached the double doored entrance, Envy opened it and gestured for Edward and Alphonse to enter. He was surprised to see Mustang at the table with Wrath, and wondered what had happened since he'd been gone.

Edward and Alphonse paused in the doorway. "Wrath… is Fuhrer King Bradley?"

Envy smirked at Edward's dumbfound look, and made to leave, but Wrath called to him. "Actually, Envy, I'd like you to stay a minute."

 _What now?_ Envy frowned and closed the door behind him. Mustang was looking over his shoulder at him with a curious expression. No doubt he'd been wondering how many homunculi have infiltrated the military, and luckily for Envy he wouldn't ever recognize him again.

"Please, have a seat you two," Wrath said. Edward and Alphonse approached the table and reluctantly took their seats next to Mustang. Envy hovered in the background, waiting for instruction.

"What happened?" Edward asked Mustang, and Mustang's frown deepened. He looked darkly across the table at Wrath, and replied, "A number of things: Sergeant Major Fuery to the South, Warrant Officer Falman to the North, Second Lieutenant Breda has been sent to the West, and it seems First Lieutenant Hawkeye is now the Fuhrer's personal assistant."

"What the hell?" Edward gasped. Envy crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall again. So, that's how it was, then. Wrath had effectively split up the dream team, and Hawkeye was now his hostage. He frowned. Such a rash move might raise more suspicion within Mustang's social circle. Envy was surprised and annoyed that Wrath would even be allowed to make such a decision on his own.

"It wasn't just a 'part' of the higher ups involved in this little game," Mustang said to Edward. "Everything is pitch black."

A silence fell. In the background, Envy smirked. Wrath seemed indifferent. He quietly sipped at a cup of tea. Sunlight streamed in through the windows behind his desk. The warmth of it reminded Envy of the warmth he felt beyond the Gate. Wrath placed the teacup back on the saucer, and May Cheng sneezed.

Envy's breath hitched in his throat. Alphonse shifted awkwardly in his chair and Edward started coughing to cover up any other sounds May might be making inside the armor.

"Before when I was hospitalized," Edward started, loudly, "you came to visit me. Back then, I didn't think you could be on their side. You had me completely fooled. You told me to not stick my head into unnecessary things and act as if you believe everyone is an enemy."

"Yes," Wrath replied. "'When the time comes, I'll have you work for me'… is what I said."

Edward leaned forward in his seat. "What do you mean by that, work for you?"

"To us, you are valuable resources," Wrath explained. "You do not need to know unnecessary things. You need to stay quiet until the time comes. If you do that, we won't treat you poorly or unfairly."

"When the time comes…? So, what will happen to the other human civilians?" Edward asked.

Envy hoped Wrath knew when enough was enough. It seemed he'd already shared a great deal of information with the Flame Alchemist. They didn't even need to know that much. If they couldn't figure it out, then let them fumble around confused.

"I thought I just said you do not need to know unnecessary things, Fullmetal Alchemist," Wrath said, frowning. Envy could see his patience waning.

"Fullmetal, huh?" Edward said, voice shaking with irritation. He put his metal hand into his pocket and produced his pocket watch. He held it out for them all to see. "When I first received this second name, I thought it had a heavy feeling to it. To think it'd become such an awful weight…"

Envy watched him turn the watch around in his hands and wondered what he was getting to.

"This name… I took it on because it was a means to get our bodies back. But this state alchemist system itself is probably put in place to find human sacrifices, isn't it? And if holding on to my certification as a state alchemist means I'll be helping you do whatever it is your planning, then you can go on and take it back. I quit!"

Edward threw the watch across the table. It skidded across the wood surface and came to a stop just short of Wrath's teacup. Envy furrowed his brow at Edward's stupidity. It wasn't like quitting would suddenly get him out of the situation he was in. He was a sacrifice, state alchemist or not.

"And I'll spread the word to other alchemists," Edward said, he stood and put his hands on the table in an attempt to leer over Wrath. Envy raised an eyebrow. "If they know something's going on, it'll get others looking into it and you'll have no choice but to stop whatever it is your doing!"

Alphonse and Mustang were staring up at Edward, but Wrath was staring down at the watch on the table. He smirked.

"Is that all you've got?"

Edward blinked and his confidence faltered momentarily. Wrath glanced up at him, one eye narrowed threateningly.

"I believe you will have to hang on to this by your own will," he said.

"My own will? Yeah, right…" Edward scoffed.

"What's that young girl's name again?" Wrath said, tapping his chin. As soon as the words left his mouth, Edward and Alphonse stiffened. "Ah, yes, Winry Rockbell. A childhood friend. An automail mechanic. Born in Resembool. She's about equivalent to family, isn't she?"

Envy crossed his arms and watched Edward's eyes widen in horror. Mustang's frown deepened and a shadow passed behind his dark eyes. So, this was why he had been asked to stay and wait. Wrath wanted Envy to know this information. He wanted the Elrics to understand how much influence they truly had by threatening Winry.

"Right now she's in Rush Valley, working as an apprentice to a respectable automail mechanic," Wrath continued. "She is valued among her friends and her customers. She's a nice, honest, young woman."

 _Slam!_ Edward punched the table with his metal fist and shouted, "Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"

Wrath frowned. He put a finger on the pocket watch and pushed it slowly over to Edward. "That is up to you. Take it and move on with your quest without interrupting ours, and we won't have a problem. But if you walk away from it, then I'll won't hesitate to cut her down."

Edward balled his fists and looked down at the watch. Envy could tell he desperately wanted to reject it in spite of everything, but slowly he reached out for the watch, closed a fist around it, and dragged it off the table, back into his pocket. He sunk back into his seat, defeated.

"Smart decision. And now that we have taken care of that business," Wrath said. He looked up at Envy, and added, "Envy will be making sure you stick to your promise by keeping a close eye on Winry. If you give us any reason to think you're meddling again, he will kill her."

Envy pushed off from the wall and uncrossed his arms. He would be taking the next train to Rush Valley then. Although an uncomfortable feeling was welling inside of him. Why did Wrath put him in charge of this task? Couldn't Pride do it from a distance?

Wrath stood and Mustang followed his lead. "That concludes this meeting. Now that you understand your position, you're free to leave."

Edward and Alphonse turned to the door. Edward glanced in Envy's direction, and Envy wasn't sure what to make of it.

"One moment," Wrath called to them. They stopped. He walked around the table toward Alphonse. In one deft movement, he unsheathed his sword and plunged it through the middle of Alphonse's armor. Envy and Edward froze. Slowly, Wrath pulled the sword out and checked for blood on the blade. When he saw none, he smiled at them and said, "That's all. You're dismissed."

They left the office. When it seemed like Wrath wasn't going to offer up any more direction, Envy made to leave as well. His hand was on the door handle, when Wrath called back to him, "You'll stay with the girl until further notice. We suspect it won't stop the Elrics from meddling."

Envy frowned. He hated taking orders from Wrath, but knew if he didn't there would be consequences. He nodded and left the office to find Mustang, Edward and Alphonse talking in the hall. It seemed Edward was borrowing some small change from Mustang.

Their conversation died when they saw Envy, and Envy had half the mind to walk in the opposite direction, but Edward stopped him with a question. "I suppose this means you'll be headed to Rush Valley now?"

Envy glanced over at them. He considered ignoring him and leaving, but now Mustang and Alphonse were watching too. He could sense the anticipation of his reply, and Envy cherished making them wait for it.

He decided to approach their small circle, hands in the pockets of his blue uniform. He came to a stop a few feet away and replied, "Yeah, I always get the shit jobs."

"So, you're another one," Mustang said, dark eyes studying him. "A homunculus. Envy, was it? I've heard of you. You're the shapeshifter, isn't that right?"

Envy flashed him a wide grin. "Wow, you've heard of me? Well, I'm flattered. Pleased to meet you, Colonel Mustang."

"Envy," Edward said, drawing his attention back, "don't forget what we discussed in Gluttony's belly."

"Oh?" Envy smirked. "What was that again? Don't tell me I made any deals with you insects in there, and that you actually believed me."

He snickered. He knew Edward was referring to when Envy said he'd work with them in order to get back at Pride and Wrath. If he was being completely honest with himself, Envy would probably consider siding with the brat just to bring an end to Pride's tyranny alone. But he was better than that. There was no way he would stoop so low, join the humans, and bring the end of his own kind. Edward could be so thick at times.

Alphonse let out a nervous laugh, which caught everyone off guard. "Yeah, Ed told me about how you _really_ feel about your brothers, Envy. And we understand why you might not be able to talk about it right now in the open."

Envy's grin faded. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes on Alphonse. He thought he was lying? True, they were still right outside the Fuhrer's office, but that wouldn't have stopped him from saying what he wanted to say. Wrath didn't scare him.

Just as Envy opened his mouth to reply, Alphonse added, "Oh, and thanks for saving May's life down there."

Edward rounded on Alphonse. "Al, he's not our friend! Why are you being so nice?"

This is why humans confused him. Envy was clearly their enemy, he thought, and yet Alphonse was trying to make nice. Wasn't he concerned about the fact Envy would be spending the next few weeks with Winry _just in case_ they crossed a line and so then he could kill her?

"Don't forget your friend is in danger," Mustang suddenly said to Alphonse. "Despite what you may think, the homunculi have made their move. If you drop your guard now, it could cost you the lives of those you care for."

 _Ah, Mustang, the voice of reason._ Envy smirked. "And now I have a train to catch," he said.

He passed through the circle. Mustang watched him, ever cautious, and Envy almost shoved Edward out of the way. Once he had passed them, he glanced back to find them still watching him. He said, "Don't worry a bit about your girlfriend, pipsqueak. She'll be in safe hands."

He snickered on his way out as Edward shouted a few curse words at him and Alphonse held him back from running him down. The last thing Envy saw as he turned the corner was Alphonse holding Edward with both arms, as Edward tried to fight his way to Envy, and Mustang standing at the side staring across the dead air with a dark gaze.

Envy knew Mustang was the one to end Lust's life. He knew for a human he was as dangerous as they come. There was nothing Envy wanted more than to curl his hands around Mustang's throat and watch his eyes bulge out of his head. But that would come in time, eventually.

* * *

Mustang watched Envy disappear around the corner. He could almost see the red glow of his core behind his eyes, regardless of his disguise. The Elrics talked in hushed voices next to him, and he glanced over at the Fuhrer's closed door and said, "Let's not talk anymore out in the open."

Then, a thought struck him: Hawkeye.

He had ordered her to wait on him outside by the car, but that had been hours ago and before he had discovered the higher ups' secret. Without waiting to see what Edward and Alphonse had to say, he rushed down the hallway and made his way out of Central Headquarters.

He had to scale three sets of stairs and cross many long corridors, but eventually he reached the exit. Night was falling on Central. The streetlamps were on. The sky was bleached from deep blue into faded orange in the West. Mustang ran out to the road to where he'd left Hawkeye, and shouted, "Lieutenant!" as he approached.

He came around a cement pillar to find none other than Major Armstrong standing there. He blanched and turned to hide his face. He leaned forward against the pillar, sweat beading on his brow, heart pounding. He tried to regain his composure.

"You look a bit pale, Colonel," Armstrong said, calm as always. Mustang sighed.

"What man wouldn't look sallow when he finds a mustached muscle-man standing where he expected to find a lovely woman?" Mustang said. He turned back around to face Armstrong and glanced up and down the street to see if maybe Hawkeye had paced around a bit. He didn't see her.

 _Maybe_ , he thought, _she's already been called up by the Fuhrer. Dammit! Please be safe somehow…_

"Colonel!"

Mustang spun around to find Hawkeye saluting him. "You're all right?" he said, sighing in relief.

"You were so late, I thought something must have happened –," Hawkeye caught herself mid-sentence, and suddenly remembered her formalities, "My apologies! First Lieutenant Hawkeye returning from the restroom, sir. Major Armstrong was passing by on his way home and was kind enough to watch my post for me. Thank you, Major."

They bowed to each other. "No problem at all," Armstrong said, gleefully.

"You didn't run away?" Mustang smirked at Hawkeye.

"I did say before I wasn't going anywhere," she replied.

"It's too late to change your mind now," Mustang said, earning him a small grin. He turned to Armstrong. "Thank you for watching out for my Lieutenant, Major. Please, let us give you a ride home."

"Oh, that's not necessary, Colonel –"

"I insist," Mustang said, firmly. Armstrong and Hawkeye exchanged looks, before getting into the car. Mustang entered the passenger side, and Hawkeye started the engine.

"Take the scenic route, Lieutenant," Mustang said, "the countryside is lovely this time of year."

"Yes, sir," Hawkeye replied. Mustang settled back in the seat and began to tell them everything he'd learned about the higher ups, about the Fuhrer being a homunculus, and about Winry being kept a hostage. The drive took them around the city, he had plenty of time to explain, and it was good for once to get it all off his chest right away.

When he was finished, there was no talking. Just the sound of the engine humming, the occasional torque of the transmission when Hawkeye shifted gears, and the wind whipping past the windows. Mustang glanced behind to see Armstrong looking extremely concerned. His normally sparking blue eyes were faded in shadow. His brow was furrowed.

"How could they do this? And for how many years have they been plotting?" He asked. "The state alchemist program, the Fuhrer's rein on this country, it's all been around for at least 60 years. What could they possibly be planning?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I intend to find out," Mustang said, running a hand along his chin. He let a small grin slip. "I'm surprised the Fuhrer would have let me leave alive after freely giving me so much information. Oh, well."

Hawkeye glanced over at him. "Shouldn't you be more worried, sir?"

Mustang couldn't help it. The grin had spread across his face. "Worried? Maybe just a little. Mostly I'm just excited. I finally have something on the Fuhrer, something big. It's only a matter of time now before he realizes that was a fatal step, letting me walk away with such important information."

"Please be careful," Hawkeye whispered. Her words were barely audible above the engine's hum, and Mustang was certain Armstrong hadn't heard her say it.

"And what about poor Ms. Rockbell?" Armstrong asked. "Surely there's something we can do to assure her safety."

Mustang frowned. "The homunculus named Envy will be watching her from now on. He's the shapeshifter Fullmetal told us about. It's unclear to me whether or not he and his brother trust Envy – it seemed they were at odds about it."

"If he's indeed a homunculus, why would they even consider trusting him?" Armstrong said.

"It sounds like Fullmetal might have made a deal with him," Mustang replied, "and on top of that, Envy might have saved the life of their friend at some point. I'm still not sure of the details."

"I don't like it, sir," Hawkeye said.

Mustang frowned. "Neither do I."

Armstrong leaned forward and said, "You know, Rush Valley is a wonderful part of the countryside with all those mountains. I have some leave coming up in a week. Perhaps I'll go and see it for myself."

* * *

"Winry," Garfield said in a sing-song voice, "there's another order in for you. I'll put it here on your work station."

"Thanks, Mr. Garfield," Winry said, wiping sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. She was curled over an automail leg that rested on her workbench. It was a rush job for an old fellow sitting in the waiting room, and there was no way she was going to get it done with so many interruptions.

 _Ring! Ring! Ring!_ The phone made her jump. She dropped the tool she was holding, and with a grumble got up to answer it.

"You've reached Garfield's Automail," she said into the receiver.

 _"_ _Brother, is that Winry? Ask her if she's okay!"_ A voice echoed through the speaker and she smiled, recognizing it as Alphonse.

"Is that you, Ed?" Winry asked. Her heart slowly dropped as she realized Edward must have broken something to be calling her. "You didn't break it, did you!?"

 _"_ _Uh…"_ Edward said, awkwardly, _"no, no. I just… just want to see if you made it back safely. So, is everything okay?"_

Winry smiled and twisted the phone cord around her finger. "Why are you being so weird, Ed? You never call me to ask me how I'm doing."

 _"_ _So, you haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary?"_

She blinked at the odd question. "Well, no… why do you ask? Ed, you're creeping me out."

 _"_ _I just want to make sure everything is okay,"_ Edward replied, simply.

She smiled down at her lap and couldn't help the blush that rose up in her face. "Thank you, Ed. I'm fine, really. It means a lot, you checking in on me like this."

 _"_ _Yeah, okay. Good."_

"Winry? You have a visitor here," Garfield said, bursting into the garage. When he saw she was on the phone, he made some strange hand signal that she assumed was something along the lines of _"I'll tell the visitor to wait,"_ and then disappeared again.

"I have to go, Ed," Winry said. "But thanks again. Talk to you soon. Bye."

She placed the phone back on its cradle and smiled. It was odd for him to call for something like that, but she would be lying if she didn't say she liked it.

Now, to see who the visitor was and what they wanted. She wondered if it was some other rush job. She pulled off her gloves, threw them onto the workbench, and left the garage. The shop's storefront was a small room with mismatched chairs for seating customers. Garfield manned the front showroom where they displayed some of their newest and finest workmanship on polished shelving that lined the walls.

The elderly customer Winry was already serving was waiting in the corner of the room. Garfield spotted Winry and pointed over to a man perusing the items on a shelf across the room from her. She recognized him from the back almost immediately just by his spiky, black hair alone. He hadn't even bothered to disguise himself or change his attire, and Winry thought it was lucky for him Rush Valley was full of all sorts of people, or he might have been getting strange looks.

"Envy?" she said, stopping short of a few feet away from him. She had no idea why he was here at all. Is this why Edward had called to see if she was okay? He must have known Envy would be showing up, but then why didn't he say anything to her. Once more, she felt the familiar irritation rise in her chest, a result of being left out of the loop… again.

Envy glanced over his shoulder and then pointed at the metallic device he was looking at. "What the hell is this?"

Winry wondered why he cared, but replied anyway, "That's a shin piece, one of Garfield's designs."

"Oh, I like that one!" Garfield piped up from across the room. He grinned at Winry. "I like him. He has good taste!"

Envy turned around as Garfield approached them. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, Winry? Who is this handsome lad?"

Winry noticed a touch of pink surface in Envy's cheeks. He looked like he wanted to blow a hole through the wall and run as fast as he could. She laughed a bit at his expression, and said, "Mr. Garfield, this is Envy. He's… a friend."

Garfield gave a little bow. "Great to meet you! Any friend of Winry's is a friend of mine, of course."

To Winry's surprise Envy's face broke out in a wide smile. "Why, thank you! How nice you are."

"I have to say," Garfield continued, "I absolutely adore your choice of wardrobe! So chic! Where did you get it? Oh, don't tell me! If I can't find one myself, I'll just get jealous. Forget I asked! Anyways, so much to do, you kids have fun."

Garfield spun on his heel and gracefully made his way back to his desk where the phone was continuously ringing off the hook. Winry noticed Envy let out a heavy sigh when Garfield was out of earshot.

"Let's talk somewhere private," Winry said. She led him out of the showroom and into the garage. Once the door closed, she locked it and turned to face him.

Envy had taken a seat at her workbench, rested an ankle on his other knee and leaned back. "Nice place."

"So, I guess this means you're still going to watch me? I didn't realize you'd be back so soon," Winry said. Edward's phone call was scratching at the back of her mind. She wondered if she had any reason to be concerned about Envy's sudden appearance.

Slowly, she leaned on another work station. Her hand inched toward a diamond-tipped screwdriver behind her back.

"Yeah, I hope you have a spare room here, because I've been asked to stay for an undetermined length of time," Envy replied. "So, _friend –_ ," he snickered, "you can drop the screwdriver. I'm not here to hurt you."

Winry felt a bit foolish for getting caught. She let the screwdriver fall out of her hand and it rolled onto the table behind her. "Sorry, it's just… I got a call before you arrived that put me on edge," she excused.

"Oh, let me guess," Envy grinned, "the Fullmetal pipsqueak, your boyfriend, was worried about you?"

Winry blinked. "How did you…? Wait! Boyfriend? Ed? No, no, no! We're just old friends – there's no way he'd be my boyfriend!"

Envy rested his head in the palm of his hand. "Right, whatever. Anyways, remember what King Bradley told you? I'm here for your protection. My orders come directly from the Fuhrer. So, whether you or the pipsqueak like it or not, I'm staying right here."

That's right, how could she forget King Bradley had personally vouched for Envy? Winry felt even more foolish for doubting him. He had a smug look on his face now, like he knew what she might be thinking.

"Well, I'm not sure what kind of danger I'd be in out here," she replied, "but thank you, Envy. I really appreciate it, and I'm sure Ed will too. I know this can't be the most exciting job you've had, so thank you."

"You're right about that," Envy scoffed, looking around at the workshop full of toolboxes, scrap metal and unfinished automail projects.

"So, if you're going to be staying for a while, why don't you help out around here? Garfield won't raise an eyebrow at you, if I said you were helping me. And I'm sure it would be best if we didn't raise suspicions," Winry said. She was unsure if he'd agree to it.

"Raise suspicions?" Envy lifted his head off his hand and leaned back. "I'm not about to take orders from a brat like you, and there's no way in hell I'll be acting as your errand boy."

Winry giggled, which seemed to catch him off guard. He cocked his head to the side slightly wondering what she found funny. "That's the first time anyone's called me a brat in a while," she said. "Also, when I said help out, I didn't mean small errands – I can do those myself – what I meant was helping me with things I can't do. In any case, I guess we'll just tell Garfield you're a friend from out of town."

"Fine, I don't care what you tell him," Envy said. He stood up and stretched. With that, he passed Winry, unlocked the door and left.

Winry stared after him as the door closed behind him. For whatever reason, she had assumed Envy would be around her all the time, but it seemed he had other ideas. She supposed she didn't need to be monitored 24/7.

She wandered back over to her unfinished rush job, and prepared to make the final last adjustments to it.

As she made her slow and steady progress, her mind wandered back to Envy and she wondered where he had gone. She couldn't deny the rise in her chest at the thought of him. She knew it was silly and hopeless; he wasn't even human, and he was definitely the weirdest person she had ever known. But there was something about him that drew her. It was a nice feeling, and as long as she kept it in check, it was harmless.


	7. Chapter 7: Predator and Prey

**Chapter 7: Predator and Prey**

Within his first week of arriving in Rush Valley, Envy already knew the layout of Garfield's entire building, including exits, windows, the basement and attic. When Winry had introduced him as a family friend who would be staying for a while, Garfield was all too happy to show him around and Envy had done some peaking around on his own afterwards. He was given the last spare room, and Garfield apologized for the lack of linens on the bed and said something about Winry getting cold at night and taking them.

Envy was left to his own devices most of the time as Winry worked. He spent the time cleaning his new space, wandering around town, and sometimes he would find himself organizing bits and pieces in the shop. His need for cleanliness and order drove him to do this, even in spite of himself. Winry's workspace was extremely disorganized, and he would fly into rants every time he saw it.

Winry didn't seem to mind him tidying things up. She had made a comment about how clean the place had become since Envy had started staying with them, and Envy had snapped at her about how much of a mess she makes when she works. After that, she never mentioned it again, but passively used the new organizational systems Envy created around the shop.

This was his only way of gaining a semblance of control. Beyond that, the only space he could absolutely tyrant over was the spare room he'd been given. A small single bed was shoved over into the corner of the room. A dresser and desk lined the exterior wall. A square window looked down into a narrow ally. He cracked it open to let in some air.

Rush Valley was hot, and it was mid-August. The room was stifling. He wandered over and sat on the bed, which was incredibly firm. It felt like a block of stone. The room had started out dusty and full of random mechanical junk. Garfield had used it as a storage room, but Envy had made quick work of it, removed the garbage, found new homes for the bits and pieces that were still useable and washed everything from top to bottom.

This would be his new… _home_ for a while. He knew Wrath had done this to him on purpose. He knew Envy hated humans, so what better way to humiliate him than to force him to live with them and act like one for an undetermined amount of time. At least he didn't need to disguise himself here. If he had to _look_ like a human too, that might have made him lose his mind.

There was a knock at the door and Envy got up to answer it.

"What?" he said, opening it. Winry peered past him and into the room.

"Oh, I see you cleaned again," she said. Envy frowned. "But seriously, I would have never guessed you'd be a minimalist, clean freak. You don't even have a pillow. I can lend you one of mine, if you'd just ask."

Winry walked past him and to the window. She opened it fully and stuck her head out.

"Wow, what a view!" She said at the brick wall across the ally from her.

"Did you just come up here to bug me?" Envy said, shamelessly staring at the back of her legs, where her thighs met her round bottom.

Winry stood straight and looked around the room. "Well, no. I came up to tell you dinner is almost ready."

"Yeah…" Envy was still trying to drill out the memories of Garfield's sidelong compliments and blatant flirtations towards him.

A breeze came in through the window, and Envy wondered if it helped to leave the door open. He moved the chair from the desk over to hold keep it fully open.

He watched Winry stand in the center of the room, staring around with her hands in the pockets of her overalls. Her golden hair caught in the glow of the sunlight. It reminded Envy of his experience in the Gate somehow.

"You don't know any alchemy, do you?" Envy asked.

"Nope, that was Ed and Al's thing," Winry replied. "Besides, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have had the time. Granny kept me busy enough in the shop."

Envy thought she might want him to ask about her automail work, but he didn't want to so he let the topic drop.

"Do homunculi know alchemy?" Winry asked.

Envy shrugged. "I know it, but even if I tried I wouldn't be able to activate a circle. Homunculi don't need alchemy like humans do."

"Have you ever tried to activate a circle before?" Winry asked. "I know Ed once told me anyone can activate something, but it's whether it works or not that determines if an alchemist's circle transmuted properly… or something like that."

"It's not about trying, I simply can't," Envy said. "For whatever reason, homunculi can't activate circles."

"Maybe, it's because you're a result of a transmutation," Winry wondered aloud. Envy frowned, and she suddenly realized the implication of what she had said. Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh, Envy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be rude –"

"Regardless of what you might _think_ , human," Envy said. The old familiar anger was welling inside him. He took a few steps toward her so that he was inches from her and she was forced to look up. "Homunculi are the epitome of beings. We are your superior in every way, which is why we don't need alchemy."

He watched her chest rising and falling. Her blue eyes were wide and fearful, and he relished it. He felt powerful, standing over her like he was.

"Envy," she said. Her hand was on his arm, gently. It was such a small feeling, but the touch was so unexpected, Envy looked down to see what it was she was doing. She had just placed her hand on his, just above the elbow. She didn't seem to be trying to hurt him or pull at him. She seemed to just want to touch him. He looked back at her face, and she added, "I didn't mean any offence. I'm sorry."

Envy stepped back so that her hand fell off him. "Don't… touch me."

A touch of pink appeared in Winry's cheeks. "Oh, sorry… Geez, aren't I just the most insensitive person in the world? This is horrible. I feel like such an idiot. First I treat you like a suspect when you arrive, then I insult you, and now… Would you let me start this over, please? I'm afraid I've forgotten my manners back in Central."

Was this a trick? Envy had never seen a human act like this. She was flustered and her cheeks were getting redder by the second. The only time Envy had ever seen this kind of reaction was when he'd been around Lust. Men would act in a similar way towards her.

And then it hit him. It felt like a kick to the head from an automail leg. The pieces fell together, what she'd said on the train, and how she was acting now: she _liked_ him.

It took everything in Envy's power to contain his laughter when he realized that must be what it was. It just made sense. If only Lust could see him now, he's sure she would comment on the situation right in front of Winry.

"What's so funny?" Winry asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. He grinned and wondered if he should poke fun, but he decided better of it. He may as well keep that small tidbit as a trump card for future. Besides, now that he knew or at least suspected what was on her mind, he might be able to torment her a little. Maybe his stay in Rush Valley wouldn't be boring after all.

"Oh, Winry!" Garfield came clambering up the stairs. Winry passed Envy and went into the hallway to see what he was yelling about. "I was trying something fancy to impress our guest, but I don't have any of my mother's talent for cooking. I've gone and burned the cluck right out of the chicken! I think you two will have to go out to eat instead. I'm sorry!"

Winry giggled. "Don't worry about it, Mr. Garfield. Did you want some help cleaning up?"

"Oh, heavens no! Go on and eat," he said, "I'll take care of the kitchen."

Perfect. Envy thought if he had to endure another entire meal sitting across from Garfield he might want to kill himself several times over. And now, he could entertain himself at Winry's expense.

She glanced over at him and gave him a sheepish smile. "I guess it's just the two of us," she said. "There are a few restaurant choices along the main road."

"All right, it's a date," Envy said, smirking at his choice of words. He passed her in the hallway and started to descend the stairs. When he noticed she wasn't following him, he turned around. "Aren't you coming?"

"Date?" Winry asked, cheeks flushed red.

"It's a turn of phrase," Envy corrected her, and then he snorted with laughter. "Oh, you actually thought I was asking you on a date? That's rich! You must know by now, I'm way out of your league."

To his amazement, Winry grinned. "Right, it must be all your charming qualities. My mistake."

Envy's grin faded, and Winry came down the steps towards him. She stopped on the same step as him, and stood so close he could feel her warmth.

"What's wrong, Envy, not used to a _mere human_ calling you out on your shit?" Winry smirked. She chuckled to herself and left him standing dumbfounded on the stairs.

* * *

The streets of Rush Valley were dusty and sand strewn. Being close to the desert meant the town was prone to its elements. Sand storms, dust clouds and flash floods were all common here. As Envy and Winry walked through the main street, they passed dozens of mechanic shops, automail displays and hardware stores. Envy found it hard to imagine anyone actually living here who wasn't a mechanic.

"So, we really haven't had much chance to talk without Garfield around. Can I ask you how you started working for the Fuhrer?" Winry said. "I mean, from the sounds of it you went from working for the other homunculi to helping out the military. How did that happen?"

Envy wondered if he should try to make something up or leave it a mystery for her. It had been Wrath's plan to feed her that lie in the first place, so why did he have to work even harder to keep it going? He sighed. "It's a long story."

"Well, maybe one day you'll share it," Winry said. "If you're going to be hanging around the shop for a while, it would be nice to get to know you better."

Envy glanced over at her next to him and wondered why. Why would anyone want to get to know him, least of all, a human? He suspected she was lying and trying to be nice. That's what humans did. Although, he had to admit, she was surprising him in many ways.

He had been alive for many centuries and he'd never been challenged so directly before by a human. A human had never laughed at his odd sense of humor, or caught him in a prank and played it back. He had learned that humans had two modes: vengeful and weak. Winry was different somehow.

She let out a small squeal and rushed toward a window display. Envy stopped in the street, reluctant to follow her. He stood with his toes buried in the sand and looked up at the starlit sky. Wrath had sent him here to punish him. There was no other reason why Father would let him waste one of his able henchmen on such a mindless task. But why him?

"It's a diamond-tipped drill bit I've wanted for ages!" Winry said, hands up against the glass. "He comes out with a new one every year and this is the most recent. The craftsmanship is amazing. The things I could do with this…"

There had to be a reason. Perhaps he was being punished for slipping up last week when he accidentally lost his temper when he was fighting Ling and his guard girl. Because of his arrogance their lair was almost infiltrated and Lust died. That had been his fault…

…Or had it? Pride had notified him of his failure, but Pride, being the embodiment of darkness, could have helped Lust. Instead, he didn't interfere. Why?

"Alright, I suppose we should find a place to eat," Winry said, coming back over from gawking at the drill bit in the window. "For my sake, let's eat at the diner over there. I'm in oily overalls. They won't care what I look like, I know the owners."

She pointed to a small building with a big front window and booth seats inside. Envy followed her lead to the diner, and he noticed a small grin surface on her face.

"What? No talk back this time?" she said, with a laugh. "Envy, am I wearing you out already?"

So, if Lust's death hadn't really been his fault to begin with, then why had he been sent here to watch the pipsqueak's mechanic? It seemed like a waste to have him sitting around here waiting for the Elrics to break the deal. And when that time came, would it really be effective to kill her at all? It would only serve to fuel the Elrics' eagerness to thwart their plans.

"Envy?"

Envy blinked and realized he'd been staring up at the sky as he walked. He stopped and looked down to see Winry standing next to him, smiling.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" She stared up and Envy could see the subtle reflection of the stars in her eyes. "You don't get a view like this in the city, that's for sure."

Her hair tussled slightly as a cool breeze came down from the mountains. Her skin was doused in a pale glow from the starlight. Envy watched her stare up at the stars and wondered why he wasn't feeling envious of her. She was beautiful and confident, and he should hate her for it. But he didn't. Instead some unusual feeling was rising in his chest. What was she doing to him?

She glanced over at him and caught him staring. Even in the darkness he could see the blush that crept into her cheeks. She smiled sheepishly, and asked, "Is everything okay? You're so quiet. It's kind of creeping me out."

He was jerked back to reality, where everything was black and white; he was homunculi and she was human; he was the predator and she was his prey. Somehow in the little time he'd spent around her the lines had blurred and there were shades of grey. He preferred simplicity, and something about her was becoming complex.

"Let's get some food," he said, frowning. He led them the rest of the way. The diner was brightly lit, and complete with a checkered floor and booths lining the walls. A few small round tables sat between the booths and the counter where a multitude of cakes and pies were on display behind glass. People sipped at large milkshakes and bit into burgers the size of their face. The babble of conversation warmed the space, made it lively and inviting.

A balding man with a round belly looked up from the cash register and waved at them as they entered. "Good evening, Winry! Take a seat wherever you want. Rudy will be right there."

"Thanks, Stan!" Winry smiled, and led Envy to the last free booth. They sat across from each other and Envy leaned his head on his hand, looking around.

"So," Winry said, grinning at him. "Being somewhere around 250 years old, I bet this is a horrible imitation of a forties diner, eh?"

Envy shrugged. "I couldn't say."

Winry looked a little confused. "Well, you lived through the forties, right? Don't tell me you never ate out."

"I guess I was too busy with other things to eat out," Envy replied.

Winry looked a little disappointed, but he didn't care. It wasn't like he had much opportunity for frivolities when he worked for Father. Things like eating at a diner were extremely low on his priority list.

"Hey, there Winry, dear!" Waitress Rudy appeared and dropped a couple laminated menus and glasses of water in front of them. "Oh, and I see you have a cute date with you tonight," she winked at Envy, making his stomach turn. He looked away from them and down at the menu. "Are you going to introduce me?"

Winry laughed, most probably at Envy's reaction more than anything, and said, "Envy is a family friend, Rudy. He's staying with me from out of town."

"Well, isn't that swell! Where abouts from out of town?" Rudy asked.

"Central," Envy replied, without taking his eyes off the menu. He hoped she would take a hint and leave him alone. He reached for a glass of water.

"Ah, I see," Rudy smirked, clearly not understanding body language. She gave a sidelong glance at Winry, and made to look as though she was whispering to her, except that Envy could plainly hear her, "You know what they say about those city men, Winry? High energy, great under the bed sheets."

Envy had just taken a sip of water and almost spat it. Winry's face was beet red, and she looked absolutely mortified. Rudy howled with laughter and slipped away to the next table.

They spent the next few minutes in silence and staring at the menus, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs. Despite having been totally humiliated by a mid-aged diner waitress, Envy wasn't furious. In fact, he was more entertained by Winry's reaction to care about his own embarrassment, which surprised him. A couple weeks ago he might have pushed a fork through Rudy's eyeball just for even implying he would get involved with a human in that way.

The Gate, he assumed, had changed him. It was the only explanation for his odd behavior, for his _feelings_. He knew something was off inside him. His envy, as it were, wasn't as pronounced. There were other emotions inside of him that acted to drown it out. It was unfamiliar, but it was also…enjoyable.

For the first time in his long life, he felt _content_. Contentment was something he'd never experienced before, not once in 250 years. But then he saw the stars in Winry's eyes, and for a moment, nothing else seemed to exist. Not Father nor his brothers, not the plan, and not even himself. What did it mean? Did it make him better than his homunculi counterparts?

"Something's really got your attention." Winry had her head resting in her hands. She was staring at him from across the table. "You want to talk about it?"

Confide…in a human? Envy looked down at his hands and wondered, _why not?_ After all, he needed answers to what was happening to him, and there was no one better suited to understanding feelings than a human. And it didn't really matter what he told her, in the end she would die, either by his hand or through Father's plan.

He looked up at her, and said, "I haven't talked about this to anyone, so don't go around blabbing off."

Winry gave him a soft smile. "Well, okay, I promise it will stay between us. You have nothing to fear."

Envy hesitated. He wanted to find the right words to describe what had happened and what he felt to someone who didn't know anything about alchemy. When he felt he'd found the right way to explain it, he said, "Last week –"

"Alright, what can I get you two lovebirds?" Rudy appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Winry shot Envy an apologetic look. The old familiar burn of anger rose up inside Envy, and he gritted his teeth. He didn't want to make a scene here, not in front of Winry.

Winry ordered for both of them, and Rudy left with some other comment about the size of hands that neither Winry or Envy took any real notice of. When she left, Winry turned back to Envy, and said, "Sorry, please continue."

"No, never mind. It was stupid to even consider it," Envy said. And with that the topic closed, and they both fell silent. He could tell Winry was saddened by this.

They ate their meals with very little conversation, and when they were finished Winry billed it to Garfield's tab and they left.

* * *

Winry wanted to punch Rudy in the face. For the first time, Envy was starting to open up to her, to confide in her, something even Edward had never done.

As they walked back to the shop, she could sense Envy's barrier trampling out conversation. It was some impenetrable iron wall with barbed wire at the top and trip lines and land mines on the other side of it. Winry could never hope to scale it and survive, but she still wanted to try. At least to say she'd done that much, gone that far.

They were coming up to the shop, she could see it in the distance, but she knew if they reached it, her chance to find out what Envy wanted to tell her would be gone, possibly forever. It was a clear, warm night. She knew of some amazing paths around town that would take them away from the main strip, away from any interruptions.

She paused in step, and Envy noticed and looked back at her. She said, "Let's go for a walk. I don't feel like being cooped up in the shop, and besides, Garfield will probably be overwhelmingly excited that we're back."

At the mention of Garfield, Envy frowned. She knew he valued his personal space as much as she did. He shrugged and she led him passed the shop and towards the edge of town, closer to the desert and into the canyon. She knew of a lookout point above the city that wouldn't take too long to get to, and it would give them a chance to talk.

As they reached the path with the town behind them, the landscape opened up into an expanse of rolling sand. It glowed silver in the moonlight. The path scaled a slight hill toward the crest of the lower part of the canyon.

"I'm sorry about that back there. Rudy can be really annoying," Winry said into the darkness.

"That's why we're walking, isn't it? You really want to know what it was I had to say?" Envy replied. It caught her a little off guard that he'd call her on it so quickly. She let out a little laugh, and nodded. She could feel him watching her.

"You won't understand it, even if I told you," he replied.

"Give me a little credit," Winry said. "I understood you when you were telling me about homunculi when we first met, don't you remember?"

"Yeah, but this is different."

"Try me."

A small grin was creeping onto his face, Winry could see it even in the darkness. She noticed then that a slight reddish glow illuminated the pupils of his eyes. She tried to imagine what was causing it. She thought if she didn't know Envy, and if she had just run into him in the darkness, those red eyes would terrify her.

"Have you heard of the Gate of Truth?" Envy asked.

"Yeah, Ed talked about it sometimes," Winry replied. "Isn't it where people get their alchemic power from?"

"In theory," Envy said. "You apparently pass through the Gate when you perform human transmutation."

"Right." Winry remembered Edward talking about his eerie experience in the Gate, how it was where he had received all the secrets of alchemy that allowed him to transmute without a circle.

"I don't feel like going into the backstory, so forget about asking, but basically I passed through the Gate last week," Envy said.

"What?" Winry stopped and turned to stare at him. "But how? I thought homunculi couldn't do alchemy."

They had reached the lookout point, or were close to it. Winry could feel the chill wind coming through the mountains.

"Like I said, I don't want to go into the background details. Just take my word for it, I didn't perform alchemy, but I passed through the Gate nonetheless," Envy said, and she could sense his patience waning. "Anyways, you had asked before if my name was also my nature…"

Winry remembered asking him on the train ride to Rush Valley. She remembered his immediate knee-jerk reaction, how his anger shut her out and ended the conversation before it could start.

"I'm born of Father's envy, so therefore I am Envy," Envy sighed, and she could tell he was trying to explain an incredibly complex thing in few words.

"I did get that sense before," she said, saving him the exasperation. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It was obvious after spending some time with you. Your reactions to things, and what you said… I put two and two together."

Envy put his hands on his hips and looked up the hill toward the lookout point. She could see he was thinking deeply about something.

"But you're different now," she added, making him look back at her. "I mean, you're still the same, but something has changed. I'm just not sure what it is yet…"

"So, you notice it too." Envy frowned, and the red glow behind his eyes seemed distant. He said, "I'm not sure what it means, but I think when I passed through the Gate I gained… emotions. I still feel envy, but I also have the others now too. I think. I'm not sure yet. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Winry could see he was conflicted, tormented by this new dilemma. Secretly, she thought it was wonderful. Somehow, the Gate had made him a complete person.

Then, she realized something: "Envy, has there ever been another homunculus to pass through the Gate?"

At this, he grinned and pointed at his chest. "Nope, I'm the first. Even Father, with all his power, tried to create a Gate of Truth, and only ended up creating a fake one."

They walked a little further and reached the height of the path where the cliff dropped off suddenly and overlooked the town of Rush Valley. From this vintage point, it was reduced to a handful of flickering lights sandwiched between the rough terrain of the canyon and the smooth, sandy void of the desert. The train tracks were the only thing that connected it to the outside world, beyond their line of sight.

Winry sat near the edge, looking out over the valley. Envy felt if she fell to her death Wrath might think he'd jumped the gun, and he'd get in trouble for it. He took a seat on the ground next to her, prepared to catch her if she fell.

"So, do these new feelings bother you?" Winry asked. She glanced away from the view and at Envy. He studied the town below.

"Bother me…?" He said, wondering out loud. "I'm Envy. I'm supposed to be free of emotion. It's what makes humans weak creatures, and now I've been… reduced to this, to _feeling_. Of course, it bothers me. Things used to be simple, logical. And now…" he sighed heavily, "every little thing is _frustratingly_ complex."

"Well, it sounds to me like you haven't been 'reduced' at all," Winry replied. "Actually, I'd say it's quite the opposite. And emotions don't make us weak, they help keep us strong."

"Of course, that's what you'd think," Envy said, irritably. "All humans think emotions make them special. But it just holds them back."

"Now we're having a philosophical discussion," Winry said. There was laughter in her voice. Envy looked over at her. To say something like that, she couldn't help but think he must have never felt powerful emotions like love, ever. And all at once, there was pity for him, but something else too. Excitement, a need to help him.

She added, "Emotion brings us together. When one falls, we help one another to stand up again. That's what friends and family do for each other. That's what I'd do for Ed and Al, and even yourself, if you needed it."

"Me?" Envy scoffed. "I don't need help, least of all from a human."

Winry smiled. "It's not really up for debate. I've grown to care for you as a friend, like it or not. That's just how I feel."

He stared into her eyes, the red glow brighter than ever. She wondered what he might be thinking. His lips parted slightly, as he said, "Then, you're a fool."

The words cut the night and hung between them like dust from the desert. She felt like he had pushed her over the edge and she was free falling to her death. But the ground was solid beneath her, she could feel the dryness of the gravel under her hands. There was a soft wind blowing through the valley, cooling the heat that was rising in her face. He was so close, their shoulders almost touched. She was sure her hands would be trembling if she lifted them from the ground.

"You're right," she breathed. "I am such a fool."

She leaned in and placed a small kiss on his lips. It was timid and uncertain, and she felt him tense and pull away.

His violet eyes were wide. "Why did you do that?"

Heat rose in her cheeks and ears. She gave him a coy smile. "The same reason anyone kisses anyone, I guess. I hope… you didn't mind it?"

"…I don't know," he said. She could see the conflict in his expression.

She wanted to ask if he'd ever been kissed before, but she knew he'd take offense to it. Instead, she asked, "May I try it again?"

"No," he said, standing up. It took her by surprise. She got to her feet and saw him walking away.

"Envy, wait," she said. "I'm sorry, if I –"

"You're toying with me, human!" He snapped. He turned to face her and took a small step forward. The red glow behind his eyes cut through the darkness, and she finally felt terrified by it.

"No, I'm not!" she said. Her hands trembled as she held them up in front of her, trying to get him to calm down. His fists were balled at his sides, and he was slowly approaching her. She was sharply aware of that she stood with her back to a sheer drop into the valley, the edge of the cliff only a few steps behind her.

"You've been fucking with my mind since we met! Don't deny it!" Envy snarled. "I know you've been wanting to get information out of me – I heard you tell the Xingese brat your plan. Well, I am _not_ a puppet. I will _not_ be manipulated by you."

Winry dropped her hands to her sides. "Envy, that was a long time ago, before I knew you were working with the Fuhrer to get back at the homunculi!"

This reminder seemed to jog something in his memory, he relaxed his shoulders slightly, but his fists were still clenched tightly, the muscles of his arms were still tense. Carefully, Winry said, "I just wanted to be closer to you. I'm sorry if that seemed confusing."

"You want to be closer?" Envy smirked. There was a mischievous look in his red eyes that made Winry uncertain of what he was going to do. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage. He started walking towards her, and she put her hands up, defensively. She tried to step back, but the cliff edge was right there.

"Envy, please," she gasped, trembling.

He came to a standstill inches from her. A breeze came up from the valley, threatening to blow her over the edge. Tears were welling up. He was going to kill her, she thought. The red glow in his eyes would be the last thing she saw.

He leaned over her and she leaned back. Instinctively, she brought her hands up around his shoulders to keep herself steady, to keep herself from falling backward over the edge. Her breath hitched. She felt if she let go of his shoulders, she would fall to her death. The adrenaline had started pumping through her veins.

"What you're feeling right now," Envy hissed, his face inches from hers, "the fear of failure, of not being good enough. It's a lack of control. If you let go of me, it will be the last thing you ever do. This is my existence. This is what I've lived through every day of my life – and you want to be closer to it, closer to this, to _me_? You have no idea who I am or what you want."

Winry let a small gasp escape her. "Want to bet?" she said, shakily. "Tell me: if I asked you to name everything you ever loved, how long would it take you to name yourself?"

His eyes widened slightly.

She knew it from the moment she realized he was envy in nature that he could never love himself. It was the entire reason he looked to see what he didn't have in other people. She knew this was why he didn't allow himself to open up to her. He didn't believe it could be possible that she would have affection for him in a way he never had.

"If you really doubt my motives," Winry said, tempting fate, "then kiss me, and you'll know all I haven't said."

A cold wind whipped up from the valley below them. Envy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her away from the edge, and into him. He closed the gap between them and met her lips with such ferocity. She could sense his lingering anger in the aggressiveness of his touch, but there was something else there too. Lust, passion, a yearning for something he'd never had and wanted so desperately.

She wrapped her arms around him tighter and pressed her body against his, deepening the kiss. His body was taught, lean. It felt like he was made of granite, and he was rooted to the ground so firmly she couldn't budge him if she tried. She touched his face with her hands, and he broke away slightly.

Winry grinned up at him. "Any more objections?"

She was pleased to see a grin surface on his face. It was all he could do to say, "No."


	8. Chapter 8: Hers

**Chapter 8: Hers**

The next day felt like a dream to Winry. Work passed slowly. The projects she focused on weren't enough to hold her attention for more than two seconds. Every time she checked herself she found her thoughts wandering to Envy.

They had returned to the shop in contemplative silence last night, and she lied awake into the early hours wondering how she came to feel so strongly for someone who wasn't even human.

There had been a time when she thought Edward had captured her heart, but this feeling was different. This was powerful, inescapable. She wondered if something like this would last. Perhaps it was just a passing crush, she might be drawn to Envy's mysterious nature and experience.

There was just something about the thought of being with a homunculus that was exciting.

She sighed and sat back in her chair. She was going to get no work done today, clearly. Maybe it was for the best. She hadn't had a solid day off in a while.

The phone rang and she stood up to answer it. "Garfield's Automail."

 _"_ _Hey, Winry, it's Paninya! I hope you're doing well!"_

"Oh, Paninya, great timing! I was just taking a break from work," she replied. "What's up?"

 _"_ _I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you?" Paninya said. "I'm stuck babysitting and I think the little one's come down with an ear infection. I ordered medicine from town, but I can't make it out there to get it. Do you think, since you are taking a break from work, it wouldn't be much trouble for you to bring it by?"_

Winry smiled into the receiver. "Sure, I can do that. But, is it okay if I bring a friend? He's staying here with me and I don't want to leave him behind. Also, I can make him drive, because the road to your place sucks!"

 _"_ _Of course! Sounds like a plan. See you later."_

"Bye," Winry said, placing the receiver back on the cradle. She left the garage and entered the showroom where Garfield was polishing a few of the pieces for display. "Have you seen Envy anywhere?"

"I haven't, dear," Garfield said, "although, it's still early. Maybe the young lad's still sleeping?"

"Maybe…" Winry said, "oh, and can I borrow the car today?"

"Of course, deary!"

Winry left the shop and entered the residence, scaled the stairs and realized Envy's door was wide open and he wasn't there. The bed was made, sheets pulled tight. The lack of personal touches still struck her as a little odd. The room was sweltering hot. She opened the window to let in a breeze.

"I like to keep it closed or the dust gets in."

Winry spun around and saw Envy standing in the doorway. She smiled. "Well, it's boiling in here. Maybe we can put a screen on it for you. Where have you been? I got a call from Paninya today. She wants us to come and visit her."

"Who?" Envy said, looking bored at the idea.

"Thanks for volunteering to drive me, by the way," Winry smirked. "She lives up in the canyon, so walking isn't an option and road is terrible – don't like driving it."

Envy blinked. "Do I look like your personal chauffeur? Just because I've been ordered to be here, doesn't mean –"

"I guess being around you just makes me happy." Winry grinned and took a small step towards him. Her words got the desired reaction. Envy eyes widened, eyebrows disappearing under the line of his headband.

"Oh?" Envy smirked and put a hand on his chin. "I've been doing some thinking today about last night."

Winry's grin faded from her face. "What do you mean?"

To her great surprise, his face broke into a wide grin. "Huh? You mean you haven't thought about it? You've developed feelings for a homunculus. This has been a very surprising turn of events to say the least. Don't tell me you haven't thought it was strange."

"You're really hung up on this homunculus-human thing, aren't you?" Winry asked, crossing her arms.

"Well, I can't say I've ever seen it before," Envy said. "Homunculi are the greater beings after all. And to be with a human, it's surprising. That I, Envy, would stoop so low…"

Winry felt the shallow feeling of regret wash over her. It was worse than rejection, it was mockery. She should have known. Her cheeks grew hot and she pulled back a bit, wrapping her arms around her body. Envy seemed to sense her discomfort, because his grin subsided and he said, "What?"

Winry glared at him. "What do you mean 'what'? How else did you think I'd react to your mockery. Haven't you ever been rejected before? I mean, if you really didn't like it, then there are better ways, nicer ways, of telling me!"

"Rejected? Tsk, I'm not rejecting or mocking you," Envy said, leaning against the doorframe. "I was – it was… a joke. I was only teasing. Besides," he gave her a wide smile, "I need to test your resolve."

He seemed to be trying to make sure she knew what she wanted. It was a small gesture of kindness, and she recognized it probably hadn't come very easily for him. Winry looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Envy. Maybe you could keep the teasing to a minimum for now, at least until I feel more confident."

He let out a small sigh and crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll try."

Winry stepped up to him and quickly placed a kiss on his cheek. Positive reinforcement, she thought.

She knew that even if it was possible that he'd gained other emotions, his envy was still going to be the governing voice. She felt a terrible for continuing to use that knowledge to her advantage, tailoring her reactions to ensure he would respond desirably. It _was_ manipulative, but a part of her was scared to know what was really going on inside his mind.

"Now, can you please take me to see my friend?" she asked, trying to push the guilt down. It didn't help when Envy smiled widely, and said, "Yup, no problem."

Winry wondered if this was ultimately how the Fuhrer had turned Envy away from the homunculi. Ling had said before that Envy didn't seem to be appreciated by his brother Pride.

Ling had even tried to use the same tactics Winry was using, except that he was too transparent.

Was it possible that the military had provided the same style of manipulative nurturing as Winry and Ling?

The guilt bubbled up even more.

At some point, Winry thought, she'd have to be totally honest with Envy if she wanted whatever it was they had to work. And she tried to keep herself from thinking it, but she wondered if she did stop manipulating his envy, would they even connect at all?

"Here."

Winry was pulled out of thought. Envy was holding a small box in the palm of his hand. It was an unwrapped black box with a silver emblem on the top, a logo she knew all too well. It felt like her heart stopped.

"Envy… is this what I think it is?" She asked, her hands reached for the tiny lid to see for herself. Envy had a wide grin on his face.

The lid slid off with smoothly and her eyes fell on a small diamond-tipped drill bit resting in the center of cushioned satin. Her mouth went dry.

"It's the right one, right?" Envy asked. "I was very specific. I'll strangle that sales guy if he sold me the wrong thing."

Winry had to remember to breathe. "Envy, I've been saving up for this for like six months… This… this is amazing."

She smiled widely and launched herself at him, catching him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

She kissed him, but he was grinning so widely she was made to pull away and wonder what was so funny. "What?"

Envy replied, "I've only ever wanted before. I've never _given_ , this feels… different."

"Do you like the feeling?" Winry asked.

"I think so."

Winry smirked. "Good, because I _love_ receiving gifts."

* * *

The canyon road was bumpy and littered with pot holes. Envy was having to drive incredibly slow to avoid blowing a tire or destroying the suspension. Winry sat in the passenger seat holding a small bag she'd picked up from the pharmacy before they left. According to her they still had a little longer to go.

The day had taken a strange turn. He had intended to keep his distance from Winry while he sorted out his thoughts and feelings. What had happened between them last night still had him spiralling, not just because he was surprised by her wanting.

But because as soon as she kissed him his memories of the Gate came flooding back.

That small, insignificant act broke the dam, and he remembered everything: the whiteness, the stone Gate, the vision of some creature. He knew it had been his own reflection. It called itself The Universe, but it was also him.

But most of all, he remembered the Truth beyond the Gate. He had been pulled inside it by tiny, black hands, and was made to suffer excruciating pain as all the knowledge of alchemy was shoved into his mind.

It was probably why he'd forgotten everything in the first place, his mind had blocked out the trauma. For some reason, the human's kiss had helped him remember. Why?

He glanced over at Winry. She was gazing out the window at the passing landscape. Envy had no idea how or why, but she was different.

Perhaps that was why Fullmetal pipsqueak kept her around. Had she helped the pipsqueak remember too? The image of Winry kissing Edward rose up in his mind, and he immediately regretted thinking about it.

No, he wouldn't let his envy drive him right now, he had to focus!

He sighed. He had had trouble unpacking his feelings and thoughts on the situation since last night. As far as he could tell, he was battling two dilemmas: what the Gate might mean, and how the _hell_ he managed to get himself in a _relationship_ with _Winry fucking Rockbell_!

Winry had made her feelings for him painfully clear. But for 250 years Envy had only wanted, he never actually got what he wanted.

He had always wanted companionship; from the day he was born. He had looked to find it in Father and in his homunculi siblings, and had fallen into the old pattern of despising humans because they seemed to always have it.

Winry made it look so easy. He wasn't sure why, but she had willingly given him a part of herself without asking anything in return. Suddenly everything he had ever wanted was being offered to him free of cost.

And he had no idea how to take it.

"Why do your eyes glow red?" Winry suddenly asked, pulling him out of his mental puzzling. "Last night I really noticed it."

It took Envy a moment to realize what she had asked him, before he replied, "It's the glow from the philosopher stone at my core."

She seemed to be thinking on this, because she fell silent. Envy glanced over and saw her staring down at her lap, at the bag in her hands. There was something sad about the way she looked, and he couldn't place why.

If there was anything he knew about humans, it was that they received assurance and comfort through physical touch. He assumed that was why Winry had tried to touch him before. He had never experienced touch in that way; it was empathetic, and something his homunculi brethren thought was a waste of energy.

Envy took a deep breath, pushed past the barbed-wire fence of his mind, and reached over. As soon as his fingertips brushed the back of her hand, Winry instinctively opened her palm to him. Their fingers intertwined. There was something so satisfying in the way her hand fit his, warm, thin fingers between his own.

It made him feel… _invincible_.

It was incredible how the feeling in his chest swelled. Envy didn't know if he should say or do something about it. Instead he simply felt it, clung to it, tried to log the feeling of it in his mind so that he would never forget it.

 _So_ , he thought, _this is what it feels like to be wanted._

She looked over at him and smiled widely. "I thought you didn't like touching?"

Envy frowned. "I didn't say I didn't like it. I'm just not used to it."

"So, what does this mean then?" Winry asked. Her voice was suddenly timid.

 _Different touches have meanings?_ Envy almost hammered the brakes. He was so flustered he hit a few pot holes before swerving into a clearer part of the road.

He glanced over at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean what does this mean? Is it supposed to mean something? If I were a human, what would this mean?"

Winry laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot you don't really know how we humans do things," she said. There was a hint of mockery in her voice, but Envy chose to ignore it. There was no sense in getting worked up about something so small. "How about I just tell you want I think it means, and you can tell me if I'm wrong or not?"

"Fine…" Envy said, uncertainly. It felt like a game, and he wasn't sure he wanted to play.

Winry gave his hand a squeeze and said, "It means I'm yours and you're mine."

"And what the hell does _that_ mean?" Envy could tell Winry was trying to have a moment, and he wasn't stupid, he knew what it meant to belong to someone in a romantic sense. But he was more interested in what it meant to Winry. How did she define belonging?

"Good question," Winry said, smiling. "I suppose in the most basic way it means I have an affection for you, and I'm not interested in having affection for anyone else."

"This is complicated," Envy said, making Winry sigh.

"Fine, how about this: it's equivalent exchange!" Winry said, pointing up with her other hand. He could tell immediately that she was mocking Fullmetal.

Envy grinned. "Oh, interesting! So, human relationships work on equivalency as well? It makes sense now."

Winry dropped her head into her hand and let out a low groan. "Oh, no… I was hoping I wouldn't end up explaining things using alchemy. It's just my luck."

"Talking about alchemy," Envy said, the image of the ancient doorway hovering in whiteness loomed in his memory, "I remember it now."

Winry gave him a curious look. "Remember what?"

"The Gate," Envy replied, and she had fallen silent, listening intently. He wasn't going to give her the credit of knowing it was her touch that brought it back to him. "I remember everything, and I know for sure now that I was given emotions. I just don't know why."

When he looked over at her, Winry was staring down at their hands with the same sad look she'd worn before. There was something bothering her and she wasn't talking about it.

"You could always ask Ed," she said. "That seems like something he'd know."

Envy gritted his teeth. "There's no way I'm asking help from the pipsqueak alchemist," he said, and he was pleased when Winry chose not to argue the point.

* * *

They arrived at Paninya's in the late afternoon, and Winry was greeted warmly by the young woman and a toddler who was clumsily stumbling about. Envy had very minimal experience with small humans so he tried to stay clear of the drooling, lumbering thing, even though it seemed to want to follow him around.

It had come as a minor shock when Winry had introduced him as something other than a friend. Envy couldn't remember the exact phrasing, but knew it was a term of endearment humans used when they referred to their partner. It made him feel a little queasy, and the girls shared a moment in which they grinned widely and blushed.

After that Paninya wanted to know all sorts of things about Envy. She kept trying to ask him question after question. What did he do for a living? Where did he live? Did he have siblings? How old was he? How did he come by purple-colored eyes?

To which all of Envy's answers were short: I'm in the military; Central; Yes, technically six; Old enough; and I get my eyes from my Father.

These short responses seemed to satisfy Paninya's curiosity. She didn't delve any further, and for this Envy was grateful.

Once the sun started to disappear beyond the canyon, Winry said her goodbye's and they left. On their way back to the car, she turned to Envy and asked, "You have _six_ siblings?"

They got in the car, and Envy started the engine. "Well, there are seven deadly sins," he replied. At this Winry stared at him, mouth slightly agape. "And now, I actually have only 5 – Lust was…"

At the memory of Lust, Envy felt shallow guilt rise up. He had been struggling with the blame, and now that he understood the spectrum of emotion he couldn't help but feel like her death had been his fault. Even if logically it didn't make any sense.

"I'm sorry, Envy."

His hands were on the wheel. The leather was cold. It did nothing to comfort him. Without thinking, he said, "I think it was my fault."

A heavy silence settled between them. He could feel Winry watching him, and his old irritation started to rise in defense of her stare. She looked at him with pity, and he wished she didn't.

"Can I ask… what happened?" she said, cautiously.

"No," Envy said, sternly. He was already angry at himself for letting that much slip. He threw the car into gear and started driving. The sky was dark, and the road was difficult to see. He found he needed to drive even slower than before.

The wind whistled against the car. He could feel it pushing against the frontend. A storm? He frowned, hands tightening on the wheel. They hit a few more pot holes, gently, since Envy was driving so slow. They were coming down from the inside of the canyon, when the road they followed curved and had them driving against the wind. Specks of dust and sand were hitting the hood of the car. It sounded similar to rain, just granular.

Winry gasped and pointed up at the horizon before them. "Look!"

A sandstorm. Its cloudy mass barreled towards them from the direction of town. The wind roared, growing louder as it approached. Envy's eyes widened. There was no way they'd outrun it on this terrain. They were caught between tall canyon walls. It would funnel the wind toward them powerfully. There was nothing they could do to stop it or escape it.

He stopped the car and turned off the engine. Winry gasped, "What are you doing? We're going to get caught in it!"

"There's no way we can out run it, even if we tried. We would only end up crashing or driving off the cliff," Envy said.

Winry's eyes were wide. "It's going to suffocate us!"

Envy leaned his head back against the car seat. "No, it won't."

He closed the air vents and made sure the windows were all rolled up. Winry watched the storm draw closer with tears welling in her eyes.

"Don't tell me you've lived here and never experienced a dust storm," Envy smirked, and all Winry could do was continue staring at the wall of sand that came towards them.

It hit them. The noise of millions of granules of sand hitting the windshield and scrapping along the sides of the car filled their ears. A flash of lightning illuminated the orange haze for a split second. Envy was grinning from ear to ear.

"You're enjoying this?" Winry shouted over the noise, and he could only laugh.

Storms were the true power of the world. Destructive and untamed. It was the kind of power Father hoped to harness, and never seemed to be able to. Storms made Envy feel alive. They were the only thing in nature that rivalled the chaos within his soul and left him in awe.

When he looked over at Winry, she was staring at him with a nervous look. "You're crazy!" she shouted, and he flashed her a toothy grin.

Seeing that he was so calm, Winry seemed to relax. She stared out at the dark haze of dust and sand, trying to see even a foot from the window. It was hopeless. The moonlight was beginning to fade and soon they would be in complete darkness.

Envy felt a hand on his arm. He realized Winry had slid over to him. He lifted his arm and pulled her close and she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

There was something calming in this kind of touch. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathed in the scent of her hair. This feeling, this moment, this is what he had always wanted.

Her hand was on his chest, warm and heavy. She was exploring him, slowly, timidly, and he liked it so he let her. A tension was building at the base of his spine, it was a feeling unlike anything he'd felt before, but instinctively he knew it: lust. So, that's what it felt like. It was powerful. He let out a slow, shaky breath.

Complete inky darkness settled around them. He felt Winry shift and lift her head off his chest. Her fingers drew a line from his collarbone, up along his neck, over his jawline. She found his lips with her own. Hot, suffocating. Her arms were around his shoulders, tangling in the hair at the base of his skull.

He pulled her closer, and she threw a leg over him. When she broke the kiss her breathing was shallow and shaky like his. He felt it was a shame he couldn't see her. He wanted to see the lust in her eyes.

She leaned forward and kissed him again, deeply, hungrily. Her body was pressed against him. He let his hands wander under her shirt and up her long spine, and she drew a sharp breath against his lips. This pleasure, this heat, he couldn't get enough of it. He never thought it would be possible to want something so bad and have it dangled before him. All he had to do was take it, and she was letting him.

He broke away from her lips and leaned into her neck, tasted the skin there.

* * *

Winry had always imagined what it would be like to feel so out of control. She knew in any other situation, this was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be feeling this way, especially for him, and she had lied to him to get them to this point. But she couldn't help wanting him.

Envy was more receptive this time they kissed, more fluid in his movements. She loved the way he moved against her, his tongue pushing her lips apart, his hands on her bare skin and at the back of her neck. She could lose herself in this moment.

She held onto him, his firm arms wrapping around her. She sneaked a hand up under his headband and felt his hair beneath it.

He lifted her with little effort so that she was on him, straddling him with her legs, and there was a sudden rush of power and heat. She let out an unintentional moan against his lips and hoped he didn't hear it over the noise of the storm, but she felt him grin in response. He was so full of himself, but she loved it, every bit.

He pulled away.

"I'm going to take your clothes off," he said, shocking her with his directness. She panicked a bit, and pulled back, cheeks flushed, heart pounding. "I know you want me to."

She slapped him across the face as hard as she could muster. When he looked back at her through the darkness, all she could see was the red glow of his eyes, he was grinning dangerously.

That look. She wished she could see him. She knew that look, and returned a grin of her own even though she knew he couldn't see it.

She pulled him into another kiss, and he shifted them, lifting her effortlessly off the seat and sliding them down so that she was on her back and he was above her. He lifted her shirt over her head and her exposed chest felt warm under his touch. Her nipples hardened against his fingertips.

Her skirt was the next thing to go. He slid it down her long legs so that she was left wanting in her underwear. She felt him pause, it was her one last chance to stop him, but she didn't want to. He slipped a finger under the hem and pulled the thin piece of fabric off her.

She was fully exposed to him now, with her eyes full of lust. She knew from understanding envy that he could very well stop now and leave her wanting. She knew it would be in his nature to taunt her like that.

But it surprised her even more when he didn't taunt her at all. Instead, he leaned into her, kissing the naked skin of her neck and breasts, giving for once, into his own temptation.

A flash of red illuminated the darkness, and she saw him over her, staring down at her with a mischievous glint in his violet eyes. Now he too was naked. The black uniform he normally wore was gone. The red light died as his transformation finished, and his skin against hers felt warm and firm. She wished she could have seen more of him before the light died. She wrapped herself into him, felt him slowly enter into her. She had never done this with anyone before, and felt hot pain combined with pleasure. She wanted him to slow down a bit, but didn't at the same time.

When he was completely inside her, he looked down at her and stilled. The storm raged against the car, the noise of sand against its outer shell filled her mind.

 _Bury us_ , she thought, _close us in, let this moment never end, let this remain our secret._

She felt small beads of sweat along his hairline with the tips of her fingers. She had never been this close with anyone before, and she could tell almost intuitively that it was the same for him. It was in the way he paused to curl his arms around her, shakily, like he was lost. She could tell he didn't like being so unsure. He kissed her again, softer this time.

Winry moaned against him as he began moving his hips. The sensation was like none other and she couldn't get enough of it.

* * *

When the storm passed, it settled reluctantly. The night air was clouded in dust that floated and filled the air. Sand had buried the car up to the door handles. The night was still and silent.

Winry was wrapped up in Envy, listening for hints of life outside the vehicle. They laid there on the booth seat of the car, naked and warm and waiting.

Envy hadn't moved in a while, and his breathing was steady and shallow. Winry assumed he must be sleeping, so when he spoke it startled her.

"The storm's passed. We should get moving," he said.

She sat up and looked down at him laying pressed against the back of the seat. She could make out the shapes of his face in the darkness, the soft glow of the philosopher stone behind his eyes. His lips curled into a grin when he noticed her studying him.

"I think…" she said, as he sat up and stretched his arms over his head, "we should get stuck in storms more often."

He snickered softly and red sparks ignited around his body, clothing him. He glanced over at her as the red light faded, and leaned to kiss her.

"Why is your body so dense?" she asked, poking his chest. "Not that I'm complaining. I'm curious. Is it a homunculus thing? Is your body built differently or something?"

"You could say that," Envy replied, smirking to himself about something. "In truth, I weigh a lot more than you'd think."

Winry hunted around for her clothing and started dressing herself. She remembered Ling and Lan Fan trying to move him once they'd knocked him out. They hadn't been able to even lift his arms.

"Why is that, Envy?"

He shrugged and she put her shirt back on. "I guess you could say I'm not built like a human, and leave it at that."

"I like it," Winry said, smiling at him. She felt like she had experienced something no one else had.

Envy smiled back and closed his eyes in glee. "You have no idea."

It was a turn of phrase, something she could have passed off as him telling her he liked her too. But it was in the way he said it that made her think there was something more to him she still didn't know. Something he hadn't told her, and something he didn't seem to want to tell her.

Before she could ask, Envy turned around and opened the car door. He had to use brute force to shove it open, pushing the sand out of the way. A little spilled into the cab as he stepped out. A cool breeze drifted in and Winry shivered against it. She climbed out behind him and stood up, looking around.

The landscape had shifted. The road was hidden, but they could still tell where it was from how the sand sloped. They started walking back toward town. It wasn't too far; they had driven most of the way.

When they came to the edge of town, they could see people digging out their cars, and wiping dust and sand off the windows of their houses. The power seemed to have gone out, everyone was running around with flashlights and lanterns.

"Ms. Rockbell, are you okay?" A deep voice called to them as they approached Garfield's shop. Winry recognized him as Major Armstrong from Central, one of Edward's friends.

"Oh, Mr. Armstrong? I didn't know you'd be in town. Did you just get here on the train?" she asked. She noticed he stood outside the shop with a coil of rope around his arm and a lantern in the other. He looked like he had been working with the towns people to find others who had gotten caught in the storm.

"Just barely before the storm hit," Armstrong said. "Where were you? Mr. Garfield said you'd gone up to see your friend and –"

He stopped when he spotted Envy coming up behind Winry through the dust cloud. Winry glanced back at Envy, wondering why Armstrong was suddenly very tense.

"You," Armstrong said, bitterly. "You're the homunculus I was told about. Hiding in plain sight, I see."

Envy frowned, and Winry spun around to face Armstrong. "What are you talking about? The Fuhrer personally asked Envy to watch over me. He said I was in danger and that Envy was on order to protect me."

There was a darkness behind Armstrong's eyes. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, Ms. Rockbell, but that _thing_ is not your friend and he is _not_ here for your protection."

Winry balled her fists. "But the Fuhrer said –"

"I wouldn't put much stock in what the Fuhrer told you," Armstrong said, staring at Envy. "I have only just recently learned that he himself is also a homunculus, the one they call Wrath."

Winry eyes widened, the inside of her mouth had gone dry from the dust in the air. It wasn't true. She didn't want to believe it, but why would Armstrong lie to her? There was something in his words that rang true.

She turned to look at Envy, to see if he as shocked as she was about these accusations. But his eyes were narrowed on Armstrong, a shadow lay behind them.

"Envy…?" she breathed.

"I assume you heard all this from Colonel Mustang, since you're one of his loyal dogs," Envy said, and Winry couldn't deny the look of anger in his eyes. "He must be more stupid than we thought if he's gone around spreading this information to you and his lackeys. Tell me, what did you hope to accomplish coming here? Did you really think you could challenge _me_ and succeed?"

Winry's hands were trembling. The mirage she had been chasing after for the past week faded before her eyes, and now she saw Envy, raw and powerful and threatening.

"Ms. Rockbell," Armstrong said, ignoring Envy, which seemed to irritate him. "You have been a hostage of this monster and the homunculi since you left Central."

"No," Winry mumbled, shaking her head. "It's not true…"

Armstrong balled his fists. He was wearing steel, studded knuckles with an alchemic symbol engraved on them. "It _is_ –"

"Enough talk!" Envy snapped. His arm transformed into a long whip-like tentacle that burrowed under the sand and came out behind Armstrong, wrapping around his bulky shoulders. Armstrong was lifted into the air and slammed hard against the ground, knocking the air from his lungs.

"Stop it!" Winry screamed. Without thinking, she ran up and slapped Envy across the face as hard as she could. It was the kind of force she knew would have brought any normal man to his knees, but Envy stood rooted to the spot. His head hadn't even moved. He glared down at her, and for the first time since they'd met she was afraid of him.

"So, that's how you want to play this?" he said, frowning. His grip on Armstrong only tightened, Winry could hear him wheezing as his ribs threatened to crack under the pressure.

Hot tears were running down Winry's face. She took a small step away from Envy. "Please, let him go! Can't you just talk to me and tell me what you're really here for?"

"Tsk, why does every human I fight with want to stop and talk about things?" Envy said, "Also, he called me a monster, and I'm not really in a forgiving mood."

Armstrong grunted and Winry heard the teeth-grinding sound of one or several of his ribs breaking. She couldn't stand by and watch Envy kill him. She ran up and started pounding on his chest, but Envy grabbed her by the throat with his free hand and held her at arm's reach.

"You really want to know why I was sent here? Fine, I'll tell you," Envy snarled, as Winry tried to pull his hand away from her throat. She was unsuccessful. He wasn't choking her, yet, but she felt like in one small movement he could, if he wanted to. "I was sent here to await an order from the Fuhrer, or Wrath as you now know him, on whether or not I would have to kill you."

Winry dropped her hands to her sides. She felt if he hadn't been holding her by the neck, her knees might have buckled beneath her. Tears were streaming down her face, a lump had settled in her throat.

"And like the fool you are you fell for Wrath's lie," Envy laughed. It was shallow and cold, and Winry hated how it mocked her. "You actually thought I was here to protect you? How pathetic."

Winry gasped at the dusty air. It was all she could do to keep from screaming out at the agony in her chest. He had used her naivety to his advantage. She felt hot embarrassment when she remembered their intimacy, and how she had let him get that close. How foolish.

"I see now," she sobbed. "You were right. You were always right, from the very start."

She could feel both Envy and Armstrong watching her through the haze of dust, but she didn't care who witnessed her humiliation now. She had caused it herself.

"I am such a fool," she said, looking up at him. His violet eyes watching her sharply. "I had let you get so close to me. To think you actually had me falling for you."

There was cold indifference in his expression, like he hadn't heard her at all. She had been hoping for some reaction, however small. But she could tell she had fooled herself into believing she'd scaled his emotional barricade. She could see now all she had managed to do was get caught in the barbed wire half-way up.

"So, if you're going to kill me, at least hear me out," she said, anger taking over. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage, her hands trembled. She balled her fists and felt her nails bite into the palms of her hands. "You weren't the only one lying, Envy. You were also right about me. I was using your envy to manipulate you, to get information from you, because I thought that would help Ed and Al!"

At the mention of Ed, Envy's frown deepened and he threw her away from him. She landed in the soft sand a few feet away, gasping.

"Well, isn't that quaint? So, we were both lying? That's just precious – you really are a woman after my own heart!" Envy said, laughing coldly. "Now I get why they say love doesn't come easy."

Winry blinked and looked up at him from the sand. Love? How dare he play that card on her! Someone like him could never love another person, not as cruel as he is.

Envy smirked. "You're both lucky today, I don't feel like killing anyone right now. But now that you've ruined our plans once again, don't think there won't be consequences."

 _BANG!_ Envy was shot point blank between the eyes by one of the villagers who appeared out of the haze holding a pistol.

"I got it!" the villager shouted at Winry and Armstrong, "Are you guys okay?"

Red sparks shot up around Envy's body, healing the bullet wound in his forehead. He groaned in frustration, glanced around angrily, transformed once more and disappeared into the dust. The tentacle around Armstrong vanished in a fury of red sparks and left him gasping for air. Winry got up and ran over to him. He was shaking violently.

"I'm so sorry," she cried. "This is all my fault! I should have seen this."

Armstrong sat up and gingerly put a hand on her shoulder. "Nonsense," he said, "Envy has fooled many people in the past, some of them great leaders of this country. He and homunculi wove this lie, you have done nothing wrong."

"But I trusted him…" Winry sobbed. She leaned forward and put her head against Armstrong's collarbone. She couldn't help the tears that came flooding out. She cried, clinging onto Armstrong, and he comforted her in what little way he could.

"I _trusted_ him…"

* * *

Envy ran. Wind whistled past him. His lungs inhaled the dust-filled air. He ran. He didn't know where he was running to, but his feet padded against the sand and when he finally stopped he was standing in the desert, surrounded by dunes, with the town of Rush Valley far behind him.

Blood was pounding in his ears, he sucked at the air, sweat dripped down the back of his neck.

He wiped his face with a hand and looked back at the tiny town in the distance. It's pinpricks of lamp-lights twinkling. Slowly, he sank to his knees and felt a tight knot form in his throat. The tears came soon after.

Dust had coated his skin. He felt cold.

Envy clawed at his own face. There was a feeling inside him that was tearing him up inside.

This feeling. This anger. This _wrath_. He wanted to tear Armstrong to pieces! But there was something greater, which is why he had had to run.

Winry. _Winry fucking Rockbell_.

It felt like she had driven a sharp object through his philosopher stone and _twisted_. Falling for him? Falling for _him?_ That manipulative _bitch!_

He threw his head back and an agonized scream into the silence of the desert.

* * *

 **Leonahari: Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! It means the world to me when I hear from some old fans from years past or that I've converted someone over to the Envy/Winry side. So, thank you!**

 **Also, look for my one-shot New Years Envy/Winry on January 1st! Just a cute thing, but I promise entertainment and lols. Happy New Year!**


	9. Chapter 9: Forget me

**Chapter 9: Forget me**

To have and have not. Winry sat in her room, blankets pulled tight around her, staring out the window like child waiting for a parent to return home from work. Memory was a cruel thing. She relived her moments with Envy, wishing to have never taken his hand and been overcome, wishing to have never fit his body to his name.

She wished she'd done so many things differently; to have asked the questions first, to have never felt his mouth upon her skin, to have the ability to face what was she did. Placed beneath him, his hands upon her hips, as she was pushed hard into the leather car seat. His body fit.

It had been three days since the storm. Armstrong had boarded the early train with a promise of protection, something Winry winced at. It was the best she could do to scoff at mentions of security and comfort. She had already broken, they just didn't see it. The best remedy she could give to herself was to forget, and hope Envy forgot as well.

 _"_ _For what it's worth, dear," Garfield had said. "You weren't the only one fooled. I thought he was a lovely man. A little odd. Maybe due to his coloring, or because he didn't talk that much around me, or maybe it was…"_

It wasn't anything. Winry had come to a sad conclusion. That her intimacy and need to be close to Envy had been a deliberate act. She had fallen in love and learned of how it could be measured: shaken, flooded, blown, then left alone. She had had everything and nothing all at once.

"Winry," Garfield called up from the bottom of the stairs. "You have a visitor, dear."

A visitor. The memory of Envy standing in the showroom staring at some shin piece shining under the display spotlight. Winry could still feel the warmth of his skin against hers, the scent of him lingering long after he'd left, like the fragments of a dream. He was taunting her and he wasn't even there.

Winry stood up and left the room to see who the visitor might be. On her way down the stairs, she grabbed a heavy wrench, just in case.

The man waiting for her introduced himself as Solf J. Kimblee, and he was accompanied by several brutish-looking guardsmen. He took off his white hat and bowed to Winry, and said, "I'm sorry about the intrusion, but we've just learned that the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric is up north and is in need of mechanical assistance."

"Oh, not again…" Winry sighed. "Please don't tell me he broke it…"

Kimblee smiled. "Absolutely not. He just needs an upgrade. Something to do with the cold weather conditions and frostbite."

"Of course," Winry said, blushing, how could she have forgotten, "I supposed I'll get my things. You don't mind waiting for me?"

"Not at all," Kimblee said. Winry turned to go up the stairs again, but stopped when a thought occurred to her. She glanced over her shoulder and said, "Mr. Kimblee, was it? Who did you say sent you?"

"General Raven sent me from Northern Briggs," Kimblee replied, politely. "Why do you ask?"

Winry turned back around and gripped the wrench in both hands. "You wouldn't happen to know a man named Envy, would you?"

Kimblee frowned. "Indeed, he's one of the many homunculi threatening the security of the military. I had no idea you knew him though. I thought that kind of information was strictly a need-to-know only. May I ask how it is you know of him?"

"I…" Winry felt heat rise in her cheeks. "He threatened my life a few days ago. It was a good thing Mr. Armstrong had dropped by when he did."

"I see." Kimblee gestured to one of the guards behind him and he produced a small knife. Kimblee took the knife, making Winry tense. "Allow me to demonstrate, that I am not in fact Envy in disguise, as I imagine you are wondering."

Kimblee sliced a delicate line through his palm and held it out to Winry to see. Blood bubbled up out of the cut and pooled in his hand. No red sparks. No healing ability.

Winry sighed and grabbed a towel off the workbench and handed it to him. "Thank you," she said, quietly. Kimblee wiped the blood off.

"Now, please, Ms. Rockbell, if you wouldn't mind," Kimblee said, "we are in a bit of a rush."

* * *

"That muscle head blew my cover! Why don't you kill him!?" Envy screamed at the back of Wrath's head as he stood before Father. Pride waited quietly, sitting on the edge of Father's throne with a smug look on his childish face.

"You left your post of your own accord," Wrath replied. "Are you seriously telling me you were intimidated by a single human?"

"Can you do nothing right, Envy?" Pride said with a frown. "All you had to do was watch Winry Rockbell and wait for our instruction, and you couldn't even do that. You're pathetic."

"Enough," Father said, making Pride fall silent. "Envy, why did you disobey your order?"

Father gazed down at him from his throne. Envy glanced away and stared at the shine on Wrath's boot instead. He couldn't tell Father about Winry, he would be the laughing stock of the century. Excuse after excuse pushed past in his mind, but nothing would suffice.

"Something is wrong," Father said, making Envy look up. Wrath had turned to look at Envy, and suddenly he felt everyone staring. _Don't look at me…_

"Envy, my son," Father said, standing. He opened his arms as though he were expecting an embrace. "What is this strangeness I'm sensing from you? You haven't been acting like yourself since you passed through the Gate."

Envy stiffened. Wrath and Pride were studying him now with looks of curiosity. "I feel fine."

Father stopped before him, looking down on him as though he were some small child with a symptom of the cold. It was the first time Father touched him since he had been born. Envy felt a hand on his forehead, a pressure against the triangular marking above his eyes. Envy gasped as memories flooded through his vision, as though Father could flip through his experiences like one flips through a book:

 _Flashes of light, an ancient doorway of dark stone, the scratching noise of sand against the windshield, the outlines of the universe looking back at him, a shop display under bright lights, burnt chicken dinner, clusters of stars beyond a desert skyline, golden hair tickling his cheek, daylight channelling through the blinds, the taste of her skin in his mouth for hours after._

All these little triggers. All these things he thought were his alone were now shared with Father. Envy could not meet his eyes. He felt Father pull his hand away and it seemed like an eternity before Father said anything at all.

"Interesting," he said, pulling at his beard thoughtfully. "You have gained emotions by coming through the Gate."

"What?" Pride blanched, standing up from his perch on Father's throne. Even Wrath looked a bit surprised, his brow furrowed slightly against his eye patch.

"I wonder how that happened…" Father mumbled. He seemed lost in his own thought.

Pride was staring across the chamber at Envy with a look that Envy recognized as something close to disgust. "What does this mean? Can't you purge these emotions from him?"

This snapped Father out of his reverie. He looked over at Pride and said, "Purge him? Envy has gained all his own sins and desires as well as the virtues of any human. With some exception, this makes him the closest thing to my true son."

Pride's eyes widened as a gasp escaped his throat. Envy looked up at Father, and couldn't believe what he had heard. All his life he had always wanted Father to notice him, to value him. And the fact that it came at Pride's expense was even sweeter. Envy flashed a grin in Pride's direction, and he scowled in return.

Father said. "There is one thing that bothers me. Tell me, Envy, why did you decide to become intimate with a human when you are a greater being?"

If Pride wasn't disgusted before, he sure was now. "Are you serious? You actually got _involved_ with a _human_? How disgusting. You should be ashamed. Love and affection are for the humans and it's what will ultimately bring their demise."

"Try to remember it has nothing to do with love, Pride," Father said. "A homunculus doesn't love. Envy now has lust inside him."

"So, Winry Rockbell, was it?" Pride smirked. "We should get Envy to kill her when the time comes. How about it, Envy? Prove to us you haven't become weak. Or maybe that'd be too cruel for your human emotions – I should just kill her for you."

Anger boiled to the surface. Before Envy could stop it, he was shouting at Pride, "Touch her and it'll be the last thing you do!"

The looks he received from Father, Wrath and Pride made him wish he could pull his words back. He recoiled under their stares.

"Oh, interesting, so you _do_ feel affection for this human," Father said, coming closer to study him. He grabbed Envy's chin and forced his face upwards so that he could look into his eyes, into his soul.

"It's not impossible, I suppose," he said, gently, and before Envy could wonder what he meant, Father added, "It seems these memories of her are confusing you. I will remove them."

White hot pain exploded in his chest as Father ripped inside his body to reach his philosopher stone. Envy screamed in agony, clapped his hands together and touched Father's arm.

Blue sparks shot up around them, and Father's arm broke off. Envy stumbled backwards and fell over. He sat up and looked down at his hands.

"So," Father said, "the Gate not only gave you emotions, it also gave you alchemy. Fascinating."

Envy knew he was in trouble. He knew nobody challenged Father and survived. He jumped to his feet and started running for the door, but the concrete under his feet became soft and liquefied. He fell in up to his knees, and two spikes rose up and curled themselves around his wrists, keeping him from performing alchemy. He was pinned, encased in hardened concrete.

Father appeared before him once more. "You will make an powerful addition to our plans, but first to deal with this infection you have inside you."

He tore open Envy's ribcage and gripped his philosopher stone. Envy bellowed into the darkness of the chamber as all memories of Winry were ripped from his mind.

* * *

"You should've told me you were coming up here," Winry said, as she adjusted the bolts on Edward's arm.

"We didn't have the time," Ed said. "We were in a hurry."

Winry rolled her eyes. "You're always in a hurry."

After living in a desert, Northern Briggs was unbearably cold. The inside wasn't much warmer. She and Kimblee had been led through a network of hallways to the mechanic room by a man named Miles.

When she first saw Edward he was already there, waiting for her. He didn't smile when he saw her, didn't seem to appreciate that she was there at all. She had wondered what was wrong, but decided it was best not to ask. He never confided in her anyways.

She had considered telling him about Envy. Edward had no idea an homunculus had lived with her for two weeks in Rush Valley. For all he knew, she had worked quietly at her automail career in her small corner of the world. She had wanted to tell him… everything.

There was a time when she thought she felt something for Edward, and she wouldn't let her experience with Envy overshadow it. But every time she thought to bring it up, every time it seemed like a good opportunity, something stopped her.

"Also, why are you in prison?" Winry asked, staring down at Edward as he lay on the table. "Did you do something bad? Just admit it."

Edward blanched, but Kimblee, who was waiting at the door way with Miles and one of his henchmen, said, "It was a simple misunderstanding. There's nothing to worry about, Ms. Rockbell. The Fullmetal Alchemist will be released shortly. There are just a few procedures we must go through first."

"Oh, really?" She said, feeling relief flood her. "Thanks so much, Mr. Kimblee!"

"My pleasure!" Kimblee said and walked over to talk to his henchmen.

Winry felt a tug at her sleeve and leaned forward so that Edward could whisper something: "Don't get too friendly with Kimblee."

She blinked. "What? Why? He's a nice guy and he's been a real gentleman."

"He's no gentleman," Edward said. "What he did in Ishval was unforgivable…"

He paused in thought, and Winry watched as his face turned red. He started chanting chemistry equations: lithium, helium, nitrogen, carbon…

"What's your problem, Ed?" Winry sighed. She turned the dial and connected the nerves, making him snap out of whatever dream he was in. He shouted in pain.

"Do you mind?" He said, "Next time, warn me before you connect the nerves!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Winry said, waving his concerns aside. "Okay, now for your leg."

* * *

"Thanks to Ms. Rockbell, your maintenance is finished and you're no longer in danger up here," Kimblee said to Edward, as Winry disappeared into a back room with the Mnt. Briggs automail mechanic. Edward could hear her squealing over the technology they had, but he had other things to worry about. Kimblee continued, "Which means I can relax too. I need to talk to you about work, Fullmetal."

"Work?" Edward asked. He followed Kimblee into a side room where they sat at a small round table. "What do you mean?"

"You need to do your job as a state alchemist," Kimblee said, leaning his head on the back of his hands.

"And it doesn't matter if I agree to this or not, does it?" Edward said, but he already knew the answer.

"That's right," Kimblee said, grinning. He held up three fingers. "His excellency the Fuhrer has issued three orders and they all require that you work with me to achieve them. Number one: find Scar, who's hiding somewhere up north nearby. You need only find him; killing him is my job. Number two: find Dr. Marcoh, who is likely travelling with Scar. Again, you need only find him. And lastly number three: carve a crest of blood here at Northern Briggs."

Edward felt the blood drain from his face. Kimblee continued to speak, "It will be like Ishval. We will soak the soil with blood and hatred."

Edward slammed his fist down on the table, loudly. "I won't do it. If you think I'd do something like that –"

"Careful what you say," Kimblee said. His eyes travelled to the window in the door where they could see Winry working quietly. "It came to my attention on my way up here that she's been a handful for my superiors, Envy particularly."

Edward turned back to face Kimblee, gritting his teeth. He understood a hostage situation when he saw it, but he didn't know what Kimblee meant about Envy. His expression must have given him away because Kimblee grinned and laced his fingers together.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Kimblee said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, I won't be the one to break that news to you. That's not why I'm here."

"What are you talking about? You're making no sense!" Edward said. "What does Envy have to do with anything?"

"That's none of my business. The information was passed to me by my superiors. You'll have to ask Ms. Winry," Kimblee said. "But getting back to the topic at hand, the orders are non-negotiable. You will carve a crest of blood here. Don't tell me you lost your resolve as a state alchemist."

"I have the resolve to not kill," Edward said, balling his fists on the table. He glared across at Kimblee.

"Resolve to not kill, eh?" Kimblee said, thoughtfully, "I suppose if you stick to it, it can also be truth…"

"It's strange that you're working for them, Kimblee. Don't you care that they plan to sacrifice people for their own selfish goals? You're human, why join them?" Edward asked.

"It's simple," Kimblee said. "I want to see who will win."

Edward's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Resolve against resolve, will against will, life against life, the collision of belief against belief," Kimblee said, grinning. "Which side will prevail? The humans or the homunculi, who call themselves greater beings? I want to see who will win.'

"What is right? What is strong? What will survive? Which will the world choose? Apparently the law of Briggs is survival of the fittest. There are species that have died out due to climate, species have died out thanks to humans, the Ishvallans who were brought to ruin by the Amestrians. It is no different from any of these examples," Kimblee sneered. "Even if the humans are brought to ruin by the 'new, evolved humans', homunculi, in the flow of the great world, they did not have the power to survive. That is all there is to it."

* * *

There was something in the way Edward was acting that told Winry he wasn't being completely truthful with them. She and Alphonse sat in the jail cell waiting for him to finish his meeting with Kimblee, and when he appeared, he only had a short conversation with them. He said he was going to work as a human weapon.

She had immediately tried to ask him what he was thinking, but Alphonse had cut her off. It was some kind of understanding they had, and it wasn't until Edward had left that Alphonse explained it to her.

So, the homunculi had made their move. She thought of Envy and tried not to, but found herself wondering where he might be at this moment.

They were let out of the cell and Edward was talking to Kimblee. "I want to hunt down Scar first. He killed Winry's parents. I want to take revenge on him first. And I'll be taking Al with me too, since the way his body is, human destruction doesn't work on him."

"All right," Kimblee said.

Winry wanted to interrupt them, but Alphonse stopped her. "It's all right."

Kimblee and Edward walked away and left them alone. Alphonse continued, "Brother knows what he's doing. We're trying to locate a young girl from Xing, who we believe may be travelling with Scar. She may be able to give us a clue to how to get our bodies back without using a philosopher stone. Ed's fooled Kimblee to let him look for Scar so that he can find the Xingese girl. I'm sorry, Winry. We shouldn't have used your parents in a lie like that…"

Winry smiled at his honesty. "It's okay, Al. I don't let things like that bother me anymore."

A tightness was in her throat. Heat rose. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face.

Alphonse held his hands out to try to comfort her, but it was no use. "What – what's wrong? Was it something I said?"

She laughed, sadly. "No, Al. I'm okay, really."

"No, you're not! Please tell me," Alphonse asked.

It felt like a weight was let off her shoulders. Even though she had said nothing at all. Just knowing Alphonse was there for her. She leaned forward and gripped the bars of the jail cell, feeling the cool steel against her skin.

Alphonse watched her look up at him, and smile. "It's just that I missed you and Ed so much, and now learning how messed up everything is..."

It was a small lie. Something she would have never done, but she excused it, because she knew Alphonse had bigger worries than her poorly made decisions.

"Oh, yeah… I guess," Alphonse said, uncertainly. She knew he still sensed something was wrong, but was too polite to say so.

She frowned. "Now I have to come up with a solid excuse to go with you guys."

 _"_ _What?"_

* * *

Wrath laced his fingers together at his desk. Sword resting against the polished edge. He listened as Pride talked to him from the shadows. Sunlight streamed in through the windows behind him. He could hear delicate of clinking of a spoon against the inside of a cup as Hawkeye stirred the tea.

"Are you absolutely sure his memories have been erased?" Pride asked Wrath.

"Father certainly seems confident. Are you questioning his judgement?" Wrath asked.

There was a tense moment of silence, before Pride responded, "Of course not. We can't be too careful when dealing with this new _dilemma_. It appals me that you'd send Envy up north when you know _she's_ there. Don't you think it might cause a problem?"

Hawkeye placed the tea in front of Wrath and stepped back to stand behind him. He sipped at it, and said, "I'm confident Envy won't fall into old habits. Besides, if anything happens and he goes against his orders again, I'm sure you'll handle it."

"You seem awfully calm about all this," Pride said. "A homunculus with emotions. And especially after he fraternized with a human, I thought for sure Father would have disposed of him."

"He is valuable," Wrath said, grinning.

"He is weak," Pride corrected.

Wrath chuckled.

"What could possibly be so funny?" Pride said, annoyance layering his tone.

"It would seem after all our talk about being evolved humans, Envy has become a kind of evolved homunculus, wouldn't you say?" Wrath said. "I find it… _interesting_."

* * *

The mining town was huge. Alphonse, Winry and Edward had managed to lose Kimblee's tag-alongs in the confusion by pretending to spot Scar. It hadn't taken them long to disappear into the massive maze-like city. Layer after layer, building after building. Winry felt like they'd been walking for ages.

"This place is huge…" Edward said, "There's no way we can even hope to find them here unless they come to us."

They heard a cry off in the distance. It echoed through the buildings and made them spin around in time to see a small girl launch herself at Alphonse.

"Al! What are you doing here?" she asked, happily.

"Mei! I was looking for you!" Alphonse said, making Mei swoon. Winry smiled at Mei's childish blushes.

"What? The Elric brothers? So you're here too?" Marcoh suddenly appeared from behind a corner followed shortly by someone, who Edward was pretty certain was Yoki from the old mining town in the East.

Within a few minutes they had dragged crates together in a circle and were discussing something to do with alchemy and the philosopher stone. Winry walked over to a window. The glass had been blown out possibly years ago. The wind blew through the building, chilling her. She didn't like this town. It was too quiet and still. Snow fell in small pin-pricks of white.

She glanced back at the group behind her, chatting. It seemed the topic had turned sombre. Something was pulling at the back of her mind. She returned to the group to find them discussing a notebook only Scar could translate. There was a lull in the conversation as Winry took a seat next to Alphonse and Mei.

Edward looked across at her and asked, "Hey, Winry, Kimblee said something to me up at Briggs that I didn't get a chance to ask you about. He said it had something to do with Envy. Do you know what he was talking about?"

"Kimblee said this?" Winry asked, twisting the end of her scarf in her hands. The tips of her fingers were going numb.

Edward nodded. "Yeah, he said his superiors had provided him with some information on Envy that apparently you know as well."

Winry could feel everyone's eyes on her. Her cheeks grew hot. So, how much did Envy tell the other homunculi, and what information might have been passed to Kimblee?

Wait, Kimblee's in league with the homunculi?

"Is that why you didn't want me around Kimblee, Ed? He's in league with the homunculi?" she asked, partially as a diversion.

Edward frowned and replied, "Yeah, they busted him out of prison and he's been working for them ever since the Ishvall rebellion."

"Wait, so you're saying the homunculi were behind the Ishvall rebellion too?" Winry asked.

"Yeah…" Edward replied. "Sorry, Winry. I didn't want you to know this much."

Winry frowned.

"Well, I do, Ed," She snapped, frustration boiling up. She was tired of being left behind on the sidelines, being kept out of the loop. She glanced around at Mei and noticed she was in the thick of it, and was only half her age. "In fact, I probably know more than you think I do."

"That's what Kimblee was trying to tell me, right?" Edward said, tone heating up. "Although, he didn't tell me what it was. He said it wasn't his business to spread it around. So, how about you tell me what's going on?"

Winry took a deep breath, and said, "Envy came to Rush Valley, Ed."

"What?" Alphonse and Edward both looked at her with shocked expressions. Edward immediately jumped to his feet. "I thought you said there wasn't anything strange going on when I called! You could have told me!"

"Winry, we would have come and helped you!" Alphonse said.

"What did he do? Did he hurt you?" Edward asked. He balled his fists and stared at her.

She heard an explosion in the distance and when she turned to look out the window they saw smoke rising above the buildings in the west.

Edward and Alphonse stood up. "That must be where Scar is. Everyone stay here. We'll go check it out."

Scar… Winry remembered holding a gun to him weeks ago. She thought she might have pulled the trigger, and when she thought of it now she didn't believe she'd do it even if she were faced with the opportunity again. But she had changed, and she wanted to face him.

"Winry," Edward said, he stepped forward and took her hands in his, "I'd like to talk about this more when I get back. Please tell me everything."

She wasn't given a chance to respond. He pulled away and rushed out the door after Alphonse.

8888

A pillar of smoke rose into the sky in the distance, followed by several small explosions. Kimblee and Miles watched it rise.

"That must be where Scar is hiding," Miles said. "It will take us some time to get there."

The two guardsmen behind them stiffened upon hearing footsteps crunching the snow, coming towards them. The footsteps came to a stop, and Kimblee glanced sideways to see the homunculus Envy staring up at the smoke in the distance.

"I didn't realize one of you guys would be up here," Kimblee said, making Miles glance over as well.

When he spotted Envy, he frowned. "Wait, he's just like that other one – that big guy that came out of the hole!"

Envy looked over at them and scowled. "Don't compare me to Sloth, human."

"So, are you here for Scar? I told his excellency the Fuhrer that I would handle things," Kimblee said.

"You call this handling things?" Envy said, frowning. "You were supposed to be watching the Fullmetal pipsqueak – can you even tell me where he ran off to? Or did you let him rush in and battle Scar on his own?"

Kimblee glared at Envy. "There were… complications."

"And due to your incompetence, I'm here to make sure a precious sacrifice doesn't get blown up," Envy said, starting to walk in the direction of the smoke. He yelled back at Kimblee over his shoulder, "If I get there and he's dead, I'll be dragging you back to Central…in tiny pieces."

"Challenge accepted, homunculus," Kimblee said under his breath. He bit the inside of his lip in irritation and watched as Envy quickly scaled the wall of an abandoned apartment building and disappeared.

Miles was staring after Envy and glanced back to Kimblee with a raised eyebrow. "Who… was that guy?"

"Let's go! Get a move on!" Kimblee growled at the group of men behind them. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, trying to hide his humiliation.

* * *

Winry had followed Edward and Alphonse to Scar. She knew it was dangerous, but she had to face him, had to face the man who'd murdered her parents. This time, she wouldn't be in tears. This renewed confidence might be short-lived, but she had to do this.

Edward had managed to pin Scar against some cement debris that had fallen out of the ceiling. Their fighting might have made the building somewhat unstable. Alphonse had managed to tie up two large… things, Winry wasn't sure what they were. They were both out cold, one looked like a strange toad and the other had the snout and horns of a boar.

Alphonse stared at Winry. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"

The same old worry, the same old phrase that had kept her at arm's reach all her life. She took a step forward, but a hand was on her shoulder.

"Stay back." It was Miles. Soldiers filtered into the room, surrounding Scar at gunpoint. "You can relax, Fullmetal. We, along with General Armstrong, are on your side, not Kimblee's."

Edward and Alphonse both stepped aside as Miles walked toward Scar. Winry watched him pull out his gun and hold it level, pointing it at Scars head.

"Now, Scar," he said. "It's hard for me to judge my own kind, but I can't just let a man like you walk away. Thank you for your cooperation, Fullmetal. I will take it from here."

"Wait!" Edward said, but Winry started toward Scar. He grabbed her arm to stop her. "Winry, don't go near him!"

"Let go," Winry said, firmly, making him blink in surprise.

Miles frowned. "He is much too dangerous, Miss. Please listen to –"

"I said let me go!" Winry snapped. A silence fell. Scar's eyes were on her. She felt Edward's hand reluctantly slide off her arm and she moved forward to stand before her parents' killer.

"Why did you kill my mom and dad?"

Scar didn't drop his gaze. He stared into her eyes, and said, "No matter what I say, it would only be an excuse. I killed your parents. I have no right to apologize or make up false justifications. You have every right to judge me."

He was bleeding from a wound in his arm. Winry looked over and saw an old sheet lying on the ground. She bent and picked it up, tore it into strips.

When she approached him, she heard the metallic sound of Edward's arm reach for her as though he wanted to pull her back from Scar, but respected her decision all the same. She began wrapping Scar's wound, even as he stared down at her, red eyes wide with surprise.

"You'll bleed to death, if we don't wrap this," Winry said.

"Winry!" Edward shouted from behind her, but she spun around and snapped again at him, "No, Ed. I will not stop. Mom and dad would have done the same."

"They saved Scar's life," Winry continued, "and I think there must be some kind of meaning behind that."

"Are you saying… that you forgive me?" Scar asked.

"Don't misunderstand me," Winry said. "I won't forgive something so outrageous!"

Scar watched her tighten the fastening and finish up. Winry was sharply aware of everyone in the room. Edward, Alphonse, Miles and his men, the two chimera body guards…

"Fullmetal," Miles said in a shallow voice behind her, "there's another reason I wanted to catch you here. Kimblee has more help on the way – I think he's an homunculus. He looked just like the one we put back in the hole at Fort Briggs."

Winry glanced up at Miles. _Could it be?_ She thought.

"That is a _grossly_ exaggerated comparison, Major." Envy crouched in a window, grinning from ear to ear. Winry hadn't seen him in at least a week, and in that time she had tried to forget him. But now he was there, just how she remembered him. Nothing seemed to have changed.

She stood up and balled her fists, readying herself for a fight. Was he there for her?

Edward clapped his hands together, turned his automail into a blade and ran at Envy, who jumped out of the window and barrel-rolled into the room to avoid him.

"Tsk, calm down –" Envy tried to stop Edward, but the floor exploded under his feet and he felt through it into the level below. Dust billowed out around them, making everyone cough and splutter. For a moment, no one could see a thing.

Winry found the edge of the room and leaned up against the wall, squinting through the dust. She could hear Miles' guards cocking their guns, but nobody pulled the trigger. They seemed to be waiting for Envy to spring out of the hole.

The dust was settling, and Edward was yelling. "Where'd you go, Envy? I have questions for you and you better answer them or else!"

" _Or else_? Was that really the most creative thing you could think of?" Envy appeared in another window, that and his taunt made Edward fume.

"Why you!" Edward clapped his hands again, but Envy avoided it, had prepared for it.

Something shot through the dust and pinning Winry against the wall. A giant green hand. She let out a small shriek in surprise. The dust settled and Edward blanched at seeing her. Envy smirked, he had won and he knew it.

"Oh, go ahead and attack me now, pipsqueak," he said, watching Edward back down. "Hm? What's wrong? Oh, right, I've got your girlfriend. It's so pathetic how you humans squirm around like the bugs you are, especially when the fighting gets dirty."

 _Girlfriend?_ He was pretending he didn't know her. She struggled under the giant hand, but he was pressing to tightly for her to move. She remembered vividly the sound of Major Armstrong's ribs cracking, splitting. The sharp snap of bone breaking. And suddenly, she was very scared.

"What do you want, Envy?" Edward spat.

"You're hiding Marcoh somewhere, aren't you? I'll be taking him back to Central where he belongs," Envy replied. "And I see you already collected Scar, how kind."

"I don't know where Marcoh is, and I won't let you kill Scar either," Edward said, balling his fists.

"Huh? Why not? Scar's killed many of you state alchemists. Don't tell me you've gone and forgiven him already," Envy said. "It's way more entertaining when you're all trying to kill each other."

"How can you say that?" Winry gasped. The pressure on her lungs was making it difficult for her to breath, let alone speak. She didn't know how long her ribs would hold up.

Her words caught Envy and Edward by surprise. They both glanced over at her.

"I don't know who you are, human, but I wasn't talking to you," Envy said, frowning.

"What?" Winry breathed. Was he pretending, playing stupid? But why would he do that?

"What do you mean you don't know her?" Edward asked, furrowing his brow. "You were in Rush Valley with her, Envy. Why the hell are you lying?"

Envy's violet eyes flicked between Edward and then back to Winry. There was confusion behind his eyes. Winry studied his expression, but she didn't think he was playing around. The confusion seemed genuine.

"Huh? I've never met this human in my life," Envy said, and Winry felt without a doubt he was telling the truth. His voice peaked like the tip of Edward's blade. She was familiar with that tone, the one he used when he got defensive and insecure. "Stop screwing with me!"

Winry was starting to get lightheaded. The pressure on her chest was building. "Envy… please…"

The palm lifted off her slightly. She gasped for air, fully extending her lungs. When she looked up, Envy was studying her.

"We're not screwing with you," Edward said. "You're the one screwing around. What's going on? Why do you say you don't know Winry?"

Envy growled in frustration. "Listen! I don't care about the girl – I'm here for Marcoh and Scar. Stop trying to trick me, and tell me where Marcoh is!"

"I won't," Edward said, firmly. "Not until you or Winry tell me what happened in Rush Valley."

Winry let out a slow breath, and Envy just looked angry.

"I have no fucking clue what you're talking about!" he snarled. "Fine, I'll find him myself!"

Red sparks ignited around him. The large hand holding Winry down, vanished and shrunk back to normal. Envy clapped his hands together, and touched the floor. The ground exploded beneath them all as they fell through to the bottom floor. And in a wave of rock, rubble, and dust, Envy disappeared.

Winry was on her side, coughing, when Edward came and crouched beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Winry, are you hurt?" he asked, and she sat up and shook her head.

"I'm fine. What happened?"

"I don't know, but I think Envy used alchemy," Edward said. "He even did it without a circle."

"And it seems like his alchemical power is boosted by the philosopher stone inside him," Alphonse said, clambering towards them. "But I don't understand, brother. Homunculi aren't supposed to be able to use alchemy, it goes against their nature."

"When Envy passed through the Gate it was granted to him." Winry was staring at the ground. Edward and Alphonse looked over at her. She took a deep breath, and added, "I'm sorry, you guys. There's a lot I need to tell you. I just… wasn't ready."

Edward gave her shoulder a squeeze, as he said, gently, "It's okay, Winry."

"Let's get out of here, and then, when you're ready, could you please tell us what's going on?" Alphonse asked.

"But if there's something else that Envy or the other homunculi can do, like other secret abilities, can you please tell us before we start fighting them?" Edward asked, sighing.

Winry gave them a small smile. "Sure, thanks, you guys. I promise, once we get out of here, I'll tell you everything."


	10. Chapter 10:The things we did in the dark

**Chapter 10: The things we did in the dark**

"You're seriously telling me that that monster wasn't in league with the homunculi?" Armstrong said, staring at the back of Hawkeye's head as she drove with Mustang in the passenger seat. It had become routine; Hawkeye would arrange to drive both Mustang and Armstrong home after work. During these precious thirty-three minutes of nearly complete privacy, they would exchange any information they'd learned. It was risky, and it was bound to be discovered eventually, but until they found a solution to the communication barrier, they had no other options.

Hawkeye had overheard Wrath and Pride discussing Envy, and decided to share the information with Mustang and Armstrong. Armstrong's horrific confrontation with Envy in Rush Valley was still raw in their minds, but she was partial to believing Envy might not be the threat they originally thought he was.

"I find it difficult to believe he would betray his own kind," Mustang said.

Hawkeye drew to a stop sign, and replied, "It seems like he's made the homunculi doubt his resolve, which might be enough – something happened in Rush Valley to change him and now the homunculi are suspecting him."

Armstrong dropped his gaze. He had shared precious little information about his confrontation with Envy – the strange conversation Winry had had with the homunculus had not been spread to anyone else. It seemed private, and something that he was still struggling to believe. The question berated him over and over again: was it possible that Winry had had an affair with the homunculus?

Normally, he would have let it lie; it wasn't anyone's business besides Winry's. Certainly if the information reached the wrong people, Winry's reputation would be ruined. But if it was indeed true, and she had crossed that line, it might prove useful the next time they ran into Envy.

Armstrong looked up at Hawkeye. Time was running short, he was nearly home and then he'd have to battle with his thoughts on the topic for an entire week.

"There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you both," he said. "Something I haven't shared with you about what I overheard when I confronted Envy."

He could tell Mustang and Hawkeye were listening closely. Mustang had turned his head slightly to hear him over the engine's hum and Hawkeye glanced up at him in the rear view mirror.

Armstrong clasped his hands together in his lap and said, "I have reason to believe Winry may have developed something of a closeness with Envy, despite him being an enemy of the state."

"A closeness?" Mustang asked. "Are you suggesting…?"

"Yes, I'm afraid," Armstrong replied, he could sense Hawkeye's gaze on him. "It was very clear a relationship of some kind had developed between them. She must have been tricked into it somehow. She was under the impression he was there to protect her."

"What would Envy gain from tricking Winry like that?" Hawkeye asked. "It's not like she has valuable information he can get out of her. What would be the purpose of that kind of manipulation?"

"It doesn't make any sense," Mustang agreed.

"The homunculi are just evil and it was another way he could hurt her," Armstrong said. "There doesn't have to be a purpose or a motive. Their kind like making people suffer. This was probably no different."

"The homunculi believe they are greater beings. I highly doubt they would willingly involve themselves in any kind of intimacy with a human just to cause suffering – there are easier ways," Mustang said, thoughtfully.

"That explains why Pride didn't want to send Envy to the North," Hawkeye said, more to herself than anything. "He said he was afraid it would cause them more trouble, and then the Fuhrer said Envy had evolved somehow. Maybe, is it possible that it wasn't a trick? Could it be likely that his interest in Winry was genuine?"

Armstrong remembered how Envy had reacted when he spilled the truth to Winry. His ribs were still healing. It was hard for him to believe someone like that could express affection.

"Regardless of his motives, the fact still remains: he's an enemy," Mustang said, "and we have to approach any information we overhear about him with that in mind."

Hawkeye nodded, though Armstrong felt she might still cling to some hope.

"Lieutenant," Mustang said, "keep me informed of any more news on this matter. Even if the homunculi forsake him, I highly doubt he would work with us instead, but maybe we can use his vulnerability to our advantage."

* * *

A blizzard had settled into the valley. Snow-thickened wind gusted through the mining town, trapping Envy in a dilapidated building. He had managed to escape the fight with Edward relatively unscathed, but he had spent several hours revisiting what had been said.

He paced the empty room, still angry from his confusion. How did that girl know him? Why did it feel like there was something he'd forgotten?

It scratched at the back of his mind, something lost. He knew it wasn't right. When he reached back into his memory for images of the girl, something, anything, there was nothing. It was driving him crazy. Why would Fullmetal and the girl lie to him? It didn't make any sense, didn't serve any purpose – _except to drive him up the fucking wall_.

He would remember if he'd been in Rush Valley, but he hadn't. He would remember if he knew that girl, but he didn't.

His memory was fantastic, unparalleled by even his homunculi brethren. After centuries of shapeshifting, he was meticulous about remembering the details of a person's physical attributes down to the mole. He was nearly certain he'd never seen Winry Rockbell in his life.

Nearly.

That scratching at the back of his mind made him doubt himself. If he was certain, then why was it so hard for him to let it go? He could just chalk it up to one of Fullmetal's tricks and call it a day, but it wasn't a trick. He could _feel_ it in his bones.

"Winry…" Envy said into the silence, trying the name out on his tongue. Yes, there was something there; a warmth, a familiarity somehow. He was also acutely aware of shallow guilt that rose in the back of his mind. Strange.

He looked out the window at the wind and whiteness of the storm. It would be stupid of him to venture out. It would freeze him to his core. He would have to wait before he could move.

No doubt Dr. Marcoh would be with Fullmetal. He intended to follow them. Is it possible they too were trapped like he was? There would be no travelling in these conditions, at least for several more hours.

Wait. The mines. He grinned to himself. It must span the entire city and beyond. He could use it to find them.

He turned toward a staircase leading down into a basement. This could be it, one of the many entrances to the mines.

 _Heavy breathing. Her tongue darts out to wet her lips. They are swollen and so close to him. Long legs have twisted around him, pulling him deeper, thighs quivering. A small moan escapes her throat._

Envy stopped on the stairs and grabbed the banister to steady himself. Where the fuck did that come from? He could feel heat rising in his cheeks, even though he knew no one was there to see it. He blinked. Had it been a dream? A hallucination?

He _must be_ going crazy.

The sound of the wind against the building snapped him back to reality. Right, the mines. He could deal with his _thoughts_ later. He had work to do.

He reached the basement and found the entrance to the mines barricaded by wood paneling, which he ripped off the wall easily. The tunnel was dark and damp. His eyes adjusted to the shadows slowly. It felt like being in Father's lair, surrounded by Pride.

He walked deeper until the sound of the storm was a faint roar and all he could hear was his footsteps in the dark.

 _She shivers in the darkness beneath him. He can't see her, but she is there, warm and soft and wanting. She whispers to him, heart pounding beneath her breasts. His finger traces a line from her collarbone, down, down, down._

"Stop!" Envy shrieked into the darkness. He grabbed his head and shook himself. "Stop, stop, stop!"

Anger bubbled up. How was he seeing these things? Why was he seeing them?

The sensations were all so real, like he had experienced them before. He groped at the damp wall of the tunnel and led himself deeper into the mines.

He would ask her himself when he found her. If she was playing some trick on him, he would figure it out.

His red eyes glinted in the darkness. Nobody _fucked_ with Envy.

* * *

Winry was tired of being a hostage, pretending or not. She had faked being captured by Scar so that they could feasibly escape Kimblee without suspicion. It was a solid plan, and it had been her idea. But she was tired of being the damsel in distress.

They walked through the mines, led by Yoki. She trailed behind Scar along with Mei and Dr. Marcoh. The two chimera men who had been previously tied up were also with them. Alphonse had said something to them that made them have a change of heart.

Edward and Alphonse remained behind to face Kimblee. Winry didn't like thinking that Kimblee was in league with the homunculi and that Edward made himself vulnerable to protect her. She supposed she should be grateful to him. She had given him her earrings to hang on to as a promise: when they were reunited, she would tell him everything.

"So, you're the daughter of the Rockbell doctors?" Dr. Marcoh glanced back at her over his shoulder. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jacket to help keep her fingers from going numb.

"Yes," she replied.

"They were well respected on the battlefield," Marcoh said. "And now their daughter is once again showing the great character of the family name."

Winry frowned and stared at the ground in front of her as she walked. "I don't feel like I am."

She knew her words had surprised him. He looked back at her again and slowed to walk next to her. "Why is that?" he asked.

"Now that I'm wrapped up in this, I don't know when I'll ever be able to go home," Winry said. "I'm neglecting my customers and my teacher in Rush Valley. I've made some terrible decisions before coming here. It's just awful…"

Mei stopped, making Winry and Marcoh pause in step. "Mei, what's wrong?"

The group halted its progression through the mines. Lamplight glistening off the damp walls of the tunnel. Mei stared at the ground, and said, "I don't know when I'll get home either. My clansmen are waiting for me."

"Over here!" Yoki called to them. He had found a room off the side of the tunnel that appeared to be an old staffing office. It was full with crates and an old wooden table. Mildew-ridden maps clung to the walls, a staffing chart and some soggy dynamite sticks were piled in a corner.

They followed Yoki into the room, and he began to sift through a rusted filing cabinet for something. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled it out and laid it on the table for them to see.

"Here we go, a detailed map of the tunnel system," he said, proudly.

"Whoa, that is detailed…" said Jerso, hovering over it.

While the two chimeras and Scar spilled over the map, Marcoh turned back to Winry and Mei, and asked, "You haven't asked any more about the philosopher stone. Have you given up on it?"

Mei heaved a heavy sigh. "I… I don't want to make one. I could never sacrifice another human being."

Winry could sense Mei's despair. She seemed to be trying to keep her voice level and calm, but tears were welling in her eyes.

"I came to this country to find the means of immortality. And now, after learning about how the philosopher stone is made…if I brought that knowledge back to the emperor, there is no doubt in my mind he would try to make one even at the cost of his own people," Mei said. "I could never be responsible for providing that kind of knowledge."

Marcoh put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's focus on getting those notes translated. Perhaps there is something in that book that can help you."

Mei nodded. At the mention of the book, the chimeras looked over at them. "Do you think there's something in there to help return us to normal?"

"It's very possible," Marcoh said.

Winry thought back to Envy. He had a philosopher stone at his core. Did that mean many human lives had gone into creating him? She shivered at the thought. The more she looked, the more she realized how evil Envy might really be.

"Dr. Marcoh," she said, "do you know anything about the homunculi? About how they're made?"

Marcoh frowned. "I'm afraid not. When I was working for them, Envy was not very forthcoming about the details concerning himself or those in league with him."

Winry looked up at him in surprise. "You know Envy?" she asked.

There was a shadow behind Marcoh's eyes. "Yes, I know him. I helped him and the other homunculi create a philosopher stone that was eventually used in the Ishvallan rebellion."

"He saved my life."

All eyes fell on Mei, who was staring down at her gloves. She seemed conflicted by something.

"That's impossible. Envy doesn't care about humans in the least. He would never go out of his way to save one," Marcoh said, firmly. "You must be mistaken."

"I know what I know," Mei said, glaring up at Marcoh. "I was injured and he saved me. He hid me so that I wouldn't get killed by Wrath."

Mei was watching them with big eyes. Winry couldn't help believe her. It conflicted with how she'd been thinking of Envy recently. The sting of their last encounter and the one previous to that was still fresh in her mind. But like Mei, she too had seen a side of Envy no one had.

"I won't argue you," Marcoh said, "but just hear me out: the homunculi are evil. Don't fool yourself into believing otherwise."

He turned away from them and Yoki awkwardly cleared his throat, saying, "We should get a move on. This way!"

Winry fell behind the group with Mei and when she figured no one was listening, she said, "I believe you, for what it's worth."

"Maybe he isn't good," Mei said, quietly, "but I would be dead if it weren't for him."

They walked. Their footsteps echoing off the walls around them. Water dripped somewhere in the distance. There was a sulfur smell, and their bodies silhouetted against the lamplight.

"How do you know him?" Mei suddenly asked.

Winry glanced over to find her staring. They both looked away.

She considered her words carefully. "He was with me in Rush Valley, and we were… close."

Mei was studying her out of the corner of her eye. Her brow furrowed, and she pushed her hands into her jacket. Winry figured she'd sensed that the topic was off limits, because a silence lingered. The group ahead of them were conversing quietly amongst themselves. The sound softly echoing around them, a tight pitch of voices barely audible.

"You love him..."

It was enough to make her nearly trip. She collected herself and looked over at Mei, eyes wide. She wasn't sure if she ought to be angry or embarrassed. Heat rose in her cheeks, despite her desire to hide it.

"W-what?" She finally managed to push the words out of her throat. "Mei, what are you talking about?"

"In Xingese martial arts and in alkahestry, we learn to read the flow of energy of things and people. From this, we can also often determine emotions and states of mind, if we look close enough," Mei explained.

Winry frowned. "And you're what, reading my chi? You seem so certain."

"Well," Mei said, grinning, "I noticed something in your energy shift when Envy was brought up, like it triggers a strong emotional response from you. These shifts result in energy patterns, like symbols, so you learn to recognize certain patterns to match familiar emotions. The pattern you give off… it's definitely what I think it is."

Winry stopped, forcing Mei to turn and face her. The group ahead of them hadn't noticed, and continued on. She put her hands on Mei's shoulders, and said, "Mei, please promise me –"

"Don't worry," Mei said. "I promise. I won't tell a soul."

* * *

Envy could hear their voices in the distant darkness. He knew they were close. Lamplight flickered nearby, showing him the route to take. He could hear the voices of Dr. Marcoh and Scar. He grinned to himself in the darkness. There was something fulfilling about knowing in a few short moments, they would turn a corner and find him lurking there, waiting.

The lamplight illuminated the tunnel and fell on him. Dr. Marcoh gasped and the group halted, eyes wide and fearful. Envy's eyes scanned the group. They seemed ready to either fight or run. Scar balled his fists, hands at the ready to use his human destruction if necessary.

"Ah, there you are, Dr. Marcoh. I've been wondering where you ran off to," Envy said, grinning. "My, my, what have you done to your face?"

"Stay away from us, monster!" Marcoh said, stiffly. Behind him, Winry and Mei appeared out of the shadows. They stopped when they saw Envy, and Winry took a small step back.

"You," Envy snarled at her. She froze under his glare. Without any warning at all, he was upon her, one hand at her throat trapping her up against the wall.

"Winry!" Mei screamed. She and Scar prepared to use alchemy, but Marcoh shouted for them to stop.

"No, don't!" He said, "You'll make this entire tunnel collapse in on us!"

"Listen to the good doctor," Envy said, glancing back at them. Winry struggled against him. "If anyone makes a move, the girl gets it."

"Stop…" Winry choked.

He turned to her and growled, "Tell me what this is! What is happening to me? _Why are you in my head_?"

Tears were welling up in her eyes. He didn't want to choke her, not yet. He released a bit of the pressure, allowing her to speak and breath properly. When it didn't look like she was going to answer him, he scowled, "If you don't tell me now, I'll force it out of you!"

He raised his other hand threateningly, and she stared at him with terrified eyes. He could feel her pulse quicken. She gasped, "I thought you said you couldn't remember…"

"Remember what?" Envy snarled. "What the fuck are you talking about? Tell me what is going on? Why do I have these visions of _you_?"

Hot tears were streaming down Winry's face as she replied, "I don't know what happened to you or why you can't remember anything, but we were together in Rush Valley."

She watched him, the rise and fall of his chest, the intense red stare. His anger was in control of him. There was a slight tremor to his motion like he was holding back from hurting her, killing her, like it took every ounce of his self-control not to.

"I… don't know you," Envy said, uttering every syllable as though saying it slower would make her agree with him. Like he was trying to convince himself.

"You _do_ know me," Winry replied. "You know me better than anyone else in this world."

He leaned in so that his face was inches from her, and hissed, "Then, why can't I remember you? Why are you tormenting me?"

Winry cried, "I don't know!"

"If I may," Marcoh suddenly cut in. He was holding up his hands in attempt to calm Envy, convince him he was there to help. Envy watched him out of the corner of his eye. "Is it possible that the one you call Father, the one who governs the homunculi, is capable of altering your memory?"

Winry trembled under Envy's grasp. She could see he was considering what Marcoh had said.

"And why would he do that?" Envy snapped. "Father is capable of anything, but why would he bother to remove memories from me? Especially of a human!"

"Because he was jealous of us," Winry said, making Envy stare back at her, red eyes widening slightly. She knew he of all people would understand the influence of jealousy. It was the only way she could think to get him to understand.

Envy stared down at the ground. His free hand had curled into a fist. Something silver caught the lamplight in the dirt at their feet and he bent to pick it up. When he rose again he had Winry's diamond-tipped drill bit pinched between his fingers, and he was studying it intently.

A lump had formed in Winry's throat. The drill bit must have slipped out of her pocket when Envy grabbed her. She had taken to carrying it around. It reminded her of her resolve, to hone her skills as an automail mechanic. But most of all it reminded her of Envy and the short time they had shared together.

At seeing it in his hand, another swell of tears rose up. They could never regain what was lost, never return to what they once had, the things they did in the dark. During a dust storm in Rush Valley.

"I recognize this," Envy said, staring at the drill bit.

Winry let out a slow, shaky breath, and said, "You gave it to me. It was a gift."

The hand that had been pinning her by the throat fell, and Envy moved back. Marcoh and Scar tensed, ready for anything, but Envy looked back at Winry. She knew as soon as she saw his eyes that he believed her, and there was a sudden rush of joy.

"I remember… a little," he said, and it was enough. He outstretched his hand, holding out the drill bit for her to take.

Slowly, carefully, she took a small step towards him. He dropped the drill bit into her open palm.

There was a guarded look in his eyes, like he wasn't quite sure how to act. Winry pulled away again, cautiously. She still wasn't sure about him. He had proven over and over again to be a loose cannon.

"So, does this mean you're going to leave us alone?" Marcoh asked. "How do we know you can be trusted?"

Envy glanced between Marcoh and Winry. He seemed to be considering something. The memory of Envy's confrontation with Armstrong rose in the forefront of her mind. The things he said. His words had left a deep wound in her.

"You said you had been in Rush Valley awaiting the order to kill me," Winry said, shocking everyone except Envy, who just stared at her coldly. "But after your plan was discovered, you just left. You could have killed me then, but you didn't. Am I wrong in assuming that even if that order did come, you wouldn't have obeyed it?"

Envy looked away from her and at Marcoh instead. "If you're headed to Fort Briggs, don't. General Armstrong has been summoned to Central Command, and one of the Fuhrer's pawns will be taking her place as we speak. It's no longer safe for you there."

Marcoh was slack-jawed at Envy's response. Scar and the two chimeras frowned at the news.

"Then we will have to find somewhere to hide," Scar said. "I know of several dwellings of my people in the mountains. Perhaps they would take us in."

"How do we know he's not lying to us?" Marcoh said, pointing at Envy. "It could be a trap."

Envy shrugged. "Do what you want. I gave you the information, so you can decide what to do with it now."

A hand was on his forearm. He looked over to see Winry next to him. He could feel the warmth of her hand through her glove. It pulled at memories buried in the deep recesses of his mind. There was something satisfying in knowing she was there. They seemed to have an understanding, even if no words had passed between them.

He couldn't deny he was bothered by the mystery of why Father had removed his memories, and what those memories might have contained. From the snippets that were slowly coming back to him, he understood enough to assume he and Winry had been intimate. Just the thought of touching her skin, again and yet for the first time, made a small pressure begin to build at the base of his spine. There was a powerful yearning there, something he knew he had felt once before and wanted to again.

"Come with us," Winry said. Envy could tell Marcoh didn't like the idea. It made him want to go out of spite.

"I want to know what else I've forgotten, and you're going to help me," Envy said to Winry, who nodded. She gave him a soft smile, and he realized that was something he had missed.

* * *

The mines spanned for miles. They stopped several times to check the map and to rest. Winry was certain it was very late at night, judging from how tired she felt and how long they'd been walking.

They had stopped for a short break, and every time they did Mei and Marcoh would open up a small book with handwritten symbols all over it. They would pour over the book, and ask Scar occasionally to translate certain words and phrases. Mei would often jump into long elaborations about alkahestry, where something seemed notable.

Winry, knowing nothing of what they were talking about, spent her breaks sitting on the ground, away from the group. Sometimes Envy would join her and sometimes he would move on ahead through the tunnel system.

The first time he did this, they all assumed he had wordlessly decided to leave them after all. Winry had been slightly baffled. But then he returned. He gave a short report of the condition of the tunnels up ahead and even made suggestions about how to navigate sketchy-looking areas.

He did this almost every time they stopped. This consistent behavior had slowly warmed the chimeras and Scar up to the idea of having him around. At one point, Scar even asked Envy to explain the ouroboros tattoo he had on his leg.

It made Winry realize that Envy's role within the homunculi must have been something similar to scouting and information collection. He hadn't asked if they needed him to, he just did it. It was a bit endearing. Winry felt like she was witnessing him fall into something of an old habit. It seemed comfortable for him.

When he wasn't scouting the tunnels, he was sitting with Winry piecing the bits of the past together. They spoke in hushed voices, Winry providing him with the intimate details he needed to put everything back together. Every time she provided a bit more she hoped it would trigger a response of some kind, but he always just calmly filed it away.

It almost seemed like he still didn't quite believe what she was telling him. Since they'd reconnected, he hadn't touched her. There was no reaching for her hands, no suggestive brush as he walked along beside her. There was simply nothing.

Winry tried to comfort herself by explaining it away. Logically, he must feel like doing everything over from the start. She had remembered how difficult it had been to get him used to her touching him; how much of a challenge he made it when she had first tried to kiss him. She realized there was no way getting around it. She would have to start over with him again, from the very beginning.

When they finally exited the mines and came up to the surface, they were met with the daunting brightness of the snow-covered valley. The moonlight made the snow glow silver. The mountains were so close. They loomed in the distance above a nearby village that Scar had led them to.

"We made it," Yoki sighed, shivering. They started trekking through the snow toward the small collection of huddle huts, when Marcoh suddenly stopped and turned around to face Envy.

"You've helped us through the mines, but I still don't trust you," he said. "How can you guarantee you're not tricking us somehow and that these villagers won't be in danger from you?"

Winry could feel Envy's patience waning. Small red sparks surrounded his enclosed fist. He held it out to Marcoh and said, "I'll lend you this. Even a weakling like you can take advantage of something so powerful. Maybe it will make you feel better, help you sleep at night. Come on, doctor, what do you say?"

A crimson stone rested in the palm of his hand.

"A philosopher stone!" Mei gasped. The chimeras and Yoki stared in wonder at the tiny thing in Envy's hand.

Marcoh didn't reach to take it. "I don't need the philosopher stone to destroy you. Remember, Envy, I created the philosopher stones so you can rest assured I know how to destroy them as well."

Envy glared across the snow at Marcoh.

"Are we going to stand around here and freeze to death?" Yoki piped up.

Envy looked over at Mei. "Catch."

He tossed the philosopher stone towards her and she caught it in her mitt. She stared down at it with big eyes.

"If the doctor is too stubborn to take it, then you can have it," Envy said. "I'm tired of playing games."

Envy started towards the village. He passed Marcoh, giving him a sideways glance. Scar, the chimeras and Yoki followed him. Winry looked over at Mei, who was still in awe of the stone in her hands.

"Be mindful of the price paid to create such a thing," Marcoh said to her. With that he turned towards the town and followed the group.

* * *

They had been given several huts of their own to rest in. The villagers were pleased to see another Ishvallan among them. Scar was welcomed warmly, and so was his company.

It was late and Winry's eyes were heavy. The hut she had been offered was so short she had to stoop to avoid hitting her head against the planks of wood and clay it was build out of. The bed was made of thick hides and rested on a pile of hay. She didn't like camping, mostly because of the cold at night. She figured this would be no different, and possibly worse.

She left her clothing on, including her jacket and mittens and slid between the hides. They were surprisingly soft and warm. The bed was incredibly firm, which didn't surprise her. She stretched and lay on her back, waiting for sleep.

She could hear the crackling of a fire beyond the walls of her hut. There were mumbled voices; Scar had probably chosen to stay up talking with a few of the villagers. Snow crunched underfoot as people walked between the buildings or around the fires. Her breath steamed before her face and she watched as it slowly floated to the top of the hut and faded. She shivered.

She tried to sleep, but her thoughts were constantly punctuated by memories of Envy. His hands running along her spine, his lips against her neck, his fingers tracing delicate lines on her body. She could feel heat building between her thighs, and wondered if she ought to give in to the fantasy or forget it. She was teasing herself with the idea of him. She wasn't even sure if he still wanted her in that way. He hadn't made any advances since he'd been back. It was odd how cold he had been towards her.

It was sad how hopeless she was. He had hurt her worse than anyone, and she was already willing to let him back in.

 _Fool_ , she thought. _Mei was right. I must be in love with him._

How she had fallen for someone so _unconventional_ was beyond her. All she knew was that she had, and she would keep falling as long as he kept coming back to her.

It made her sick to think that he might end up hurting her again. For someone so unkind, he certainly knew how to worm his way back in.

She sat up. There was no way she was going to sleep now, and she wanted answers.

She slipped out of bed, pulled on her boots and left the hut. Envy had also been given a place to sleep, and she doubted homunculi needed rest like a human, but it was first place she intended to check.

Snow crunched under her boots as she crossed the path and approached a cluster of other huts. She knew these had been given to Marcoh, Mei, Scar and Envy, but she couldn't remember which was his.

Her eyes fell to the snow and she noticed the tracks were different. Oddly, Envy had stuck to his usual black outfit, despite the incredible cold. So when she spotted the sunken bare footprints she knew they were his.

She stopped at the door and hesitated, fist raised about to knock. She was preparing herself.

It was possible that she wouldn't like the answer to her question: why did you come back? He was selfish and she knew there was a chance he just wanted information, to collect what he had lost, and move on.

He had wanted answers to his questions in the mines, and she had provided them with great detail and a far bit of self-sacrifice. She had laid herself bare once more for him, rewriting the story of how he earned her heart, and then crushed it. And he had barely responded to her.

She sighed and knocked. Nothing.

Was he even there? She hovered a moment longer, wondering if she should just go back to bed and try to forget about it.

The door opened and Envy appeared. The hut he had been given was taller, he could stand up in it. When he saw her standing outside, he wordlessly stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in.

She stepped inside the small room and he closed the door. An oil lamp stood next to the bed, heating the small space just slightly. She thought that was a brilliant idea. She should have thought of it.

When he turned to face her there was a shadow behind his eyes, something Winry didn't understand. It worried her. She thought briefly that she might have been wrong about coming to talk to him.

He reached out and his fingertips touched her jawline. She froze, uncertain. She wanted his touch – no, she _needed_ it – but she was terrified of getting hurt by him again.

"Envy…" she started to speak, but his hand cupped behind her head and drew her into him. With her head resting on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. She felt him turn his face in toward her hair. She could feel the heat of his breath against her ear.

He had no heartbeat. This was something she hadn't realized before, and it struck her as obvious. If the stone was his core, then of course he didn't have a heart.

Despite the lack of a gentle thumping rhythm, Winry slowly let herself relax against him. She breathed in deeply, the scent of his skin pulling her back to the past.

Her arms wrapped around his waist and she held onto him tightly. In all their experiences together, she couldn't remember ever being held by him like this, ever. She felt herself melt, and she realized: this was an apology.

Even if the words weren't said, she knew it was his way of saying sorry. Sorry for being dishonest; for being so unkind; and for hurting you.

It might have been too much for her to wish for, to have him say these things aloud, but this was enough. He was enough.

"Why did you come back?" The question slipped from her mouth. She stared at the smooth skin of his neck, the contrast of it against the high hem of his black shirt.

"I wanted you again," he said. It was a simple enough response, but she still wasn't satisfied by it.

"I thought I was just another human to you? You've made your homunculi superiority painstakingly clear, so why settle now?" Winry asked into his neck. She could feel his breath against her ear as he replied:

"Because if there's anything I can do better than anyone, it's see the perfect in someone else."

Winry pulled back to view his face. She wanted to see his eyes, seek out a hint of mockery. But she found none. He looked at her and for the first time ever she felt she was actually seeing him. Not a glorified protector hired by the state; nor a seemingly flawless immortal being with an air of mystery.

He was an homunculus, created of a sin that feed off the misery of those around him. He was insecure, choosing the details of his appearance for the sole purpose of making people uneasy around him. He was envious, wanting but never gaining, always reaching for something he could never have which made him self-loathing and self-destructive.

He was all this, and more, or less. But he was enough, and she couldn't help loving him anyway.

She kissed him, cautiously, and he reciprocated. It felt good to taste him again, to feel the heat of his breath, and the firmness of his body against hers. She shuddered at the memory of him inside her, and remembered her desire as heat began building between her thighs again.

No, maybe it would be too soon. Oh, but how she wanted him. She gasped and felt her cheeks flush. He lifted her face with a guiding hand and she extended her chin up, exposing the soft skin of neck. He brushed his lips against it, breathing in her scent.

In spite of herself, Winry pushed against him, her hips slowly rocking inward. He noticed. It was fun to tease him.

One of his hands were already popping out the buttons of her jacket, while the other snaked down to her hips. She shrugged out of her coat, and lifted her arms so that he could remove her shirt. She went to unclasp her bra, but he stopped her.

"I'll do it," he said. Winry loved the command in his voice, how he knew to take control. He kissed her deeply and wrapped his arms around to the back of her garment. In one snap of his fingers, the clasp unhinged and her bra fell away with a touch.

He cupped her breasts, thumbs against her nipples. They were hardening under his touch. Winry let out a small moan against his lips, making him grin. How she had _missed_ him.

He reached down the front of her jeans, fingertips brushing the top of her pubic hair slightly. She shivered.

"Get on the bed," he breathed, and she obeyed. He joined her, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her long legs. He used a heavy touch on the inside of her thighs, his mouth leaving kisses just beneath her navel. Winry bucked her hips against him as his fingers lightly brushed over the wetness between her thighs.

He slid her underwear off, leaving her naked and squirming. She watched his violet eyes taking all of her in as he teased her with a light touch. She realized it was the first time he saw her naked. When they had shared their heated moment in the dust storm it had been so dark, they had to rely on feel.

The lamplight doused them in a warm orange glow. Winry wanted more than what Envy was giving her. She reached up, and tangled her hand in his hair, pushing his face down between her thighs. He obliged.

His breath was warm as he exhaled against her, and she sighed as he started to tease her with his tongue – he licks at the soft skin, the swollen nub, the sensitive creases. She felt herself getting impatient, but he was in charge even though he was beneath her. He grabbed her hips to keep her still, and didn't let go until Winry was begging for more.

When he lifted his head to look at her there was a wide grin curling along his lips. His violet eyes flashed mischievously and she knew he'd loved every second of that.

He climbed on top of her and kissed her. She could taste herself on his lips.

Red sparks ignited around them and she could feel the warmth of his naked body, his erect member pressing against her entrance. She pushed against him.

"Flip us over," she said. He blinked, but understood. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her easily, and rolled them so that he was underneath her. She tucked her hair behind her back and looked down at him lying beneath her. She could tell he was uncertain about it. His violet eyes watched her, and she knew how he hated looking up at someone.

She leaned over and kissed him, felt the firmness of his chest under the palms of her hands. She lifted her hips and slid over him, pushing him inside her slowly. It was nice to be in control of the speed. She sunk down onto him and sighed as he pushed against her inner walls. His mouth was partially open and she heard a small groan escape his throat.

She started to rock her hips back and forth over him, watching the expression of absolute pleasure settle in his eyes. She leaned in and kissed him, hungrily. She felt his hands on her hips, and grinned at his inability to let her take control. He wanted whatever control he could take back. And he was so inescapabilty _good at it_.

She pressed her breasts against his chest, and gave into the rhythm. The pressure was building deep within her, she brought him as deep as she could, guided him to the right spot at the base of her spine.

And then he hit it.

"Oh –!" She gasped, and he quickly covered her mouth, grinning from ear to ear.

"These walls aren't very thick," he said. "Let's not arouse attention. We wouldn't want anyone to think I'm torturing you in here…"

She laughed quietly at his word choice.

When she finally climaxed, it took her everything she had to not make a sound. Envy seemed to be enjoying her small tortured squeaks as she muffled her moans, and squirmed against him, thighs quivering. Her inner walls had tightened around him, sucking him into her even more. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of it.

She collapsed onto him, kissing the damp skin of his neck. He pulled her towards him, wrapped her up in his arms and she breathed against him, listening to the sound of her own heartbeat and feeling the chill winter air on her skin.

"Stay here tonight," Envy said. He pulled the covers over them and reached for the lamp.

"I thought you'd never ask," Winry said, smirking. He looked over at her and grinned before dousing the light, throwing them into darkness.

Winry settled into him, enveloped in the warmth of his body and the covers around them. She closed her eyes and felt the rise and fall of his chest beneath her. It felt homey – if she imagined it she might not be somewhere up north in the dead of winter, but back home in Resembool.

And with her thoughts of home, she drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **Leonahari: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews so far, everyone. They make me smile :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Reversal

**Chapter 11: Reversal**

When Winry awoke, Envy was gone. She shivered against the cold morning air and sat up, reaching for her clothes. She must have overslept. Her body ached. She shrugged into her clothing, pulled on her boots and exited the hut.

The brightness stung her eyes, sunlight on the snow. She squinted around at the other huts and noticed fresh footprints from each of them. She followed them to a makeshift shed on the outskirt of the village, where she found Mei, Scar and Marcoh pouring over the notebook again. The two chimeras and Yoki were nowhere to be seen, but Alphonse's metal body was in pieces in a corner of the room.

"Al?" Winry gasped, "What happened to you? Why are you here?"

"Winry!" Alphonse said, "I came over the mountain in the middle of that storm to warn you, and I got stuck nearby in the snow. It's a good thing Jerso and Zampano were looking for firewood or I'd still be there!"

"What were you coming to warn us about?" Winry asked, as Marcoh came over to them.

"I wanted to tell you that soldiers from Central have infiltrated Briggs, and that General Armstrong was summoned to Central Headquarters by the Fuhrer," Alphonse replied, "but then I found out you already knew. Winry, is it true? Is it true Envy has come to our side and is helping us?"

"It turns out I was wrong, and Envy was telling the truth about his intel on Briggs after all," Marcoh said. Winry glanced over at him.

"Do you know where he is now?" Winry asked.

"I saw him leave very early," Marcoh replied, "but I don't know where he went."

Winry frowned and dropped her gaze. Pieces of Alphonse's armor were scattered about. It seemed they had been so eager to look at the notebook they had neglected putting him back together.

"I sincerely hope you're right about him," Marcoh said, making her looked up at him again. A deep frown had settled on his face. "It's very possible he's gone to inform the homunculi of our location. It would be best to expect trouble."

"I don't believe that," Winry said. "He had come north looking for you and Scar, remember? If he was still working for the homunculi, don't you think you guys would be his first priority?"

"Still, I like to be prepared. The homunculi are capable of anything," Marcoh replied. He glanced over his shoulder toward where Mei and Scar were studying the book. "Although, I admit, I'm a little surprised he hasn't tried to kill Scar – he's the key discovering what those notes contain, without him our struggle might be hopeless."

Winry smiled. "And you've been openly discussing what you've learned while Envy's been around. Don't you think he'd think try to stop you from making progress, if he still worked for the homunculi?"

"Winry," Alphonse said. She stared down at his torso. Someone had at least put his head back on. "Zampano and Jerso told me everything. They said that… that you might have some kind of relationship with Envy. Is that what you had wanted to talk to me and Ed about?"

Winry was thankful that Marcoh had turned away from the conversation to join Scar and Mei again. She sighed and knelt on the ground in front of Alphonse, folding her hands in her lap.

"I was afraid of what you might think of me," she said. "I was going to tell you, but a lot had happened. There never seemed to be an opportunity."

"So, when he came to Rush Valley…" Alphonse said.

Winry nodded. "Yeah, he and I grew close and I started to like him, a lot."

"Even knowing what he is?" Alphonse asked. His tone was gentle, but she could tell he was surprised.

"I knew from the start who and what he was," she replied, "but then I discovered that he'd been lying to me – Major Armstrong came to Rush Valley when he heard a homunculus was watching me. And after that I didn't see him until recently."

"Zampano said they think Father erased his memories of you to keep him loyal," Alphonse said.

Winry looked up and smiled. "He remembers now. I've been talking with him, and helping him put it back together."

It felt like a weight had been lifted off her. She knew Alphonse well enough to know if he disapproved, he would say it. It was a tremendous relief knowing she wasn't judged for her decisions.

Alphonse chuckled, making her blink at him. "It's kind of amazing, don't you think? I mean, the homunculi are probably the darkest beings Ed and I have ever run into, and you've managed to get one to fall for you."

Heat rose in her face, as she said, "Fall for me? Alphonse, I didn't say anything about –"

"Think about it, Winry," Alphonse said. "Something about you connected with Envy enough to make him question what the homunculi are doing – which he clearly was, because why else would Father remove his memories if he didn't think he was a threat? And if that's not enough, look at how even after his memories were gone, Envy still found a way back to you. You can't deny it's pretty inspiring."

Winry felt herself blushing. "Oh, Alphonse, you're such a romantic. Leave it alone, okay?"

Alphonse laughed. "Fine, fine. It's too bad he's not here. I'm sure he'd be able to help with deciphering those notes. Imagine how much knowledge he must have about the plan for Amestris."

"Well, I'm sure whatever he's doing right now is just as important," Winry said, grinning.

* * *

Envy's feet were freezing. He had been walking for hours, pushing through knee-deep snow to get to where he stood, overlooking Fort Briggs from the side of the mountain range. He could see it in the distance, looming there. It was quiet and unassuming.

He had expected there to be a sign – maybe smoke, maybe a brigade of artillery, _something_. But it seemed undisturbed.

The blood crest had not yet been carved.

It wouldn't remain that way for long. Kimblee was resourceful. He'd find a way to draw blood, no matter the cost. That was what he was good at. That was why Father had kept him alive.

Envy frowned. The wind numbed his skin. If Kimblee hadn't returned from the mining town yet, that must mean something had gone awry. Perhaps, he had gotten caught in the storm. Or perhaps Fullmetal had decided to cause a distraction to keep Kimblee from following the mines.

If Kimblee suspected a cover-up Fullmetal would be in for it. Envy's immediate instinct was to want to go to the mining town and ensure the sacrifice's safety. But he stopped himself.

Fuck the sacrifices. Fuck the plan. _Fuck Father_.

Envy felt his anger bubbling up. For once in his life he had something Father didn't: companionship. And the first thing Father would do is try to take it from him, like he already did with his memories. So, fuck him.

He took a deep breath, sucking the cold air into his body. It felt good. He felt great. After almost three centuries of doing exactly what Father wanted, Envy was finally free.

* * *

"You guys are still at it?" Winry said, bringing in some mugs of hot tea she had made over the fire. She passed them around. Scar, Mei, Marcoh and Yoki were huddled around the book, flipping through each page intently. Alphonse was still in pieces in the corner.

She walked over to him and started picking up the bits of one of his legs. "I guess we shouldn't leave you scattered around like this."

She heard Mei gasp. "That's it!"

Winry turned around in time to see Mei grab the book from Marcoh and pull the threads of the spine apart. The pages feel into a scattered pile at their feet, and Marcoh threw his hands up and said, "Mei! What have you done!?"

Marcoh and Scar dropped to their knees and started frantically trying to put the pages back in order, but there didn't seem to be any numbers on them. Mei picked up a page and said, "There are too many different words that mean gold and immortality in here. And all those weird phrases… what if we separated and then reorganized the pages, grouping the similar words together?"

Marcoh and Scar exchanged a look. Alphonse, Yoki and Winry watched them slowly pick up the pages, inspect them and begin organizing them into small piles.

"… 'golden man', what does this group with again?" Marcoh asked, and Mei replied, " 'Immortality'; that pile over there."

Winry looked down at the pages near her feet, and stooped to pick them up. The writing was difficult to make out, small and thin. She spotted a word Mei was looking for and handed it to her. Behind them Zampano and Jerso arrived, staring at them in confusion.

"… 'perfect man', right over here," Marcoh mumbled to himself. Winry handed him another.

Eventually, they had grouped all the like phrases and words together into a single, circle-shaped pile. Mei leaned forward, saying, "Now to connect the markings…"

She used some charcoal from the fire to draw a transmutation circle connecting all the points across the pages. When she was done, everyone stood back to stare at it. Winry wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to be looking at, but it seemed to baffle the alchemists in the group.

Marcoh slouched, dropping his face in his hands. "This is just the country-wide transmutation circle. We already knew about this. It was all for naught."

"Then the research was just a waste of time?" Zampano said. "It didn't help at all?"

"If we don't reverse this situation, the world will suffer an unspeakable tragedy," Marcoh said, sighing into his hands. "I can't believe it was just a red herring."

Scar frowned deeply. "My brother's notes must have been meant to warn us of the dangers ahead. Even back then, he could see what was happening to this country."

Mei stood up. "We can't give up now! There's got to be something else. I just need to step away, and come back with fresh eyes."

She sighed and left the shack, saying something about sustenance. Yoki and the chimeras followed her, grumbling. Winry frowned and looked down at the transmutation circle. She had overheard bits and pieces of their conversations while they worked through the book, but she never imagined how dangerous the situation was.

"Dr. Marcoh, you said the country is in danger?" Winry asked, feeling slightly stupid for not paying more attention.

Marcoh grunted as he lifted himself off the concrete floor. "Yes. The homunculi and this country's government have worked since its inception to complete this transmutation circle. It is meant to create a philosopher stone of enormous power."

"And the philosopher stone is created using human lives…" Winry said, as the realization came to her. She felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.

Marcoh put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm surprised that Envy didn't feel you ought to be privy to this information," he said, before leaving her. Scar followed Marcoh out, leaving Winry to stare in silence at the circle feeling like the ground had fallen out from beneath her once more.

* * *

Early evening had arrived. The temperature was dropping sharply with the sun. Alphonse's metal body was still in the corner of the shack, in pieces, and now that everyone had left he didn't know what to do but think.

The circle. The philosopher stone. The homunculi's plan. Nothing seemed to help them counter it. Alphonse had gone through all the details in his mind, and nothing stirred. If only he could move a little closer to the pages…

"Well, this is just great," he sighed, wishing his friends had at least thought to put him back together before leaving.

He heard footsteps crunching in the snow and hoped someone had remembered to come back for him. When he looked up, Envy stood in the doorway of the shack. He looked a little ragged, and Alphonse wondered where he had gone off to all day.

The homunculus spotted the transmutation circle almost immediately. Alphonse kept silent, realizing he hadn't been noticed and he was mostly curious to see what Envy would do when he thought he wasn't being watched.

Alphonse was cautiously optimistic that Envy was truly on their side, but a bit of Edward's skepticism had rubbed off on him. It was possible that Envy had not changed, and that he had some ulterior motive for being there.

Envy crouched before the pile of pages, and he didn't seem to give anything away. Alphonse was having a hard time reading him. Then…

"Clever humans…" Envy mumbled. He reached out and touched one of the five markings.

"That can't be everything," Alphonse said, making Envy pull his hand back and spin around in surprise.

"Oh, it's you," Envy said, standing up and coming over to him. "I thought you were with the pipsqueak?"

"I took a shortcut through the mountains to warn everyone about Briggs," Alphonse explained.

Envy blinked. "In that storm?"

"Yeah, and then when I found out you had already warned them," Alphonse said. "So, thanks, Envy."

To his great surprise, Envy's face broke into a smile.

"Hey, no problem. So, what's with the transmutation circle? Don't tell me you guys only just figured it out," Envy said, gesturing to the pages on the floor.

"No, we knew about your – I mean, the homunculi's – plans already, but we'd hoped to find something in Scar's brother's notes that would help us counter it," Alphonse said.

"And that's all you found, huh?" Envy said, glancing over at the circle.

"That can't be it," Alphonse said. "There's got to be more to it. It was our last lead!"

"Yeah, and you're running out of time too," Envy said, making Alphonse fall silent. Envy put a hand on his hip. "They haven't carved the blood crest at Briggs yet, but give it a few days. Then, basically everything will be in place. You guys are out of time…"

Alphonse didn't like the sound of his voice. It was void of emotion, like he didn't care what happened one way or the other. Envy yawned.

"You know," Alphonse said, darkly, "if your Father succeeds and turns everyone into a philosopher stone, Winry will get caught in it too."

Envy stared at him. He dropped his hand.

"She told you," he said.

"I heard it first from other members of the group," Alphonse replied, "but, yeah, when I asked Winry, she told me everything."

"Everything?"

"So, are you going to help us or not?" Alphonse said. "You must know something we don't, something we haven't figured out yet. Please, tell me!"

"What's this?" Envy threw up his hands and grinned. "I thought you'd be pissed off, or something! You just found out your close friend is sleeping with a homunculus, and you have nothing to say to me? Wow, I'm –"

" _Sleeping_ with you?" Alphonse gasped. "She didn't tell me she was _sleeping_ with you! She just you were close!"

Envy winced and took a few steps back. "Oh, so she didn't tell you _everything_ then. Well, now I guess you know – that was the reaction I expected you to have, by the way."

Alphonse grumbled. "I didn't _want_ to know that!"

Envy grinned. He turned back to face the transmutation circle and put his hands on his hips.

"You are right, though," he said, making Alphonse fall silent. Alphonse watched Envy's grin fade as he stared down at the charcoal markings, and wondered what might be going through his mind. "I hadn't actually considered it until now."

"What's that?" Alphonse asked.

"That Winry would die."

His tone was difficult to place. Alphonse didn't know if he sounded sad, or just indifferent.

"If we're missing something, would you tell us?" Alphonse asked.

"From the look of things, you know everything worth knowing," Envy replied. "But, yeah, I'd tell you."

His voice sounded genuine that time. Alphonse had dealt with Envy on multiple occasions in the past and this was the first time he'd ever felt they saw eye to eye.

Envy turned back around and approached him again. He stooped to pick up a couple pieces of Alphonse's arm and looked at them, turning them over in his hands. "Do these go together somehow?"

"Uh… Yeah, I think so," Alphonse said, uncertainly. He watched, dumbfounded, as Envy crouched in front of him and started slowly putting the puzzle of his armor back together, bit by bit.

Eventually, Alphonse finally had the use of his arms back and could start working on his legs himself. Envy wandered back over to sit in front of the transmutation circle, one leg pulled up in front of his chest.

"Thanks, Envy," Alphonse said, but he figured Envy hadn't heard him, because he didn't respond.

"Putting the pieces back together…" Envy was muttering to himself. He reached out and picked up a page, looking at the scribbled text on it. Then, put it back down. Picked up another, looked at it, put it back down.

Marcoh appeared in the doorway behind him, and shouted, "Hey, don't touch that!"

"It's okay, Dr. Marcoh," Alphonse said. "He's helping us."

"No, he's going to sabotage it!" Marcoh said. He ran up to Envy and grabbed his shoulder. "Stop, right now!"

Mei, Scar and Winry had just arrived when Envy spun around and pushed Marcoh back. He flew a few feet before skidding to a stop at Mei's feet. Envy balled his fists.

"Your pestering is starting to piss me off!" Envy snapped, making the group tense. Scar stepped in between Marcoh and Envy, flexing his hand. Winry watched with wide eyes from behind them.

"Stop this!" Alphonse yelled, as Envy leered down on them. "Don't instigate it! I believe Envy – he's turned over a new leaf and is working for us now!"

Envy froze and his mouth opened slightly. Something had happened, and Alphonse wasn't sure what, but Envy didn't seem interested in Marcoh anymore. He turned around and looked at the pages on the floor, and gasped, "Turn over a new leaf…"

He ran back to the circle and grabbed a page off the top. Everyone watch him, as he flipped the page over and placed it back down.

Mei gasped and ran over to stand next to him.

"Flip it over!" She said. She and Envy started turning over the pages. Scar, Marcoh and Winry ran over to watch.

Once all the pages were turned over, Mei drew another circle.

"Well?" Alphonse asked. He couldn't see a thing from his vintage point, but everyone was staring down at the pages with wide eyes. "What is it?"

Mei looked over at him. "It's the reverse transmutation. A circle formed by combining both alchemy and alkahestry!"

"Really?" Alphonse said.

"This is amazing!" Marcoh said, staring down at the notes. "This must be what your brother wanted us to find, Scar. He's combined both types of alchemy to counter the homunculi's philosopher stone!"

Scar's lips turned up in a small smile. "Faithful to the end, as always."

Alphonse noticed Winry look up at Envy and give him a smile of encouragement. The look in her eyes; it was a look similar to the one he'd seen her give Edward, but it was slightly different.

"You must know what this means, Envy," Marcoh was saying. "We have found the key to defeating the homunculi."

Everyone fell silent and glanced between Envy and Marcoh. Envy leaned back, frowning. Alphonse could feel the tension in the air. They seemed to be gearing up for another round. Scar's eyes narrowed on Envy, ready to strike if need be. Mei watching Marcoh with big eyes.

From across the transmutation circle, Marcoh held out his hand to Envy, and said, "And we have you to thank for helping us find it."

A collective sigh passed through the group. Envy cautiously took Marcoh's hand. Winry glanced between them.

"I'm sorry I doubted you, but I had to be sure," Marcoh said.

Mei jumped up and cheered. "Now that we have a homunculus on our side, there's no way they can stop us now!"

Envy seemed to like the attention. He grinned at her, and said, "And believe it or not, I can also do alchemy!"

"Wait, what?" Marcoh gasped. "Impossible. Homunculi can't perform alchemy. It's against their very nature."

Envy clapped his hands and placed them on the floor. Blue sparks danced in front of their eyes as a small amount of concrete liquefied, rose slightly, formed into a wobbly shape and then solidified again.

Marcoh gaped.

Envy scratched the back of his head, and said, "I'm still trying to get it to work properly. It's either super powerful or not powerful enough."

"This is incredible!" Marcoh said, staring down at Envy's strange transmuted concrete. It very roughly resembled a mug, except the inside hadn't hollowed out and the handle just looked like some protruding shape. "How did you come to be able to do that?"

"It's a long story," Envy said, frowning, just as Winry replied, "He passed through the Gate of Truth!"

Envy glanced over at Winry, and she smirked. "What? I didn't realize it was a secret."

"So, you were granted the knowledge and power of alchemy by passing through the Gate, even though you're a homunculus," Marcoh said, thoughtfully, "as well as complex human-like emotions."

Envy's eyes widened slightly. Winry looked over at Marcoh and asked, "How did you know?"

Marcoh smiled. "I've worked with Envy before, remember? He's a sadist and loves to torment humans, calling us insects – at least, that's that was how Envy used to be."

Envy glared at Marcoh, but he continued, "Several weeks ago I would have never thought you'd be the one working with us out of the homunculi. I've done some thinking about it, and came to the conclusion that you had shown more complex emotions than just envy. For instance, your display of anger in the mines seemed to be inspired by confusion, not any sort of jealousy. And when your information about Fort Briggs turned out to be correct, it didn't match your behavioral pattern, to help humans. I eventually put the pieces together: you had emotion, but I wasn't sure how."

Everyone had fallen silent. Scar shifted from one leg to the other behind Marcoh. Yoki and the chimeras were sitting on the floor around them, listening carefully. And Mei and Winry were looking at Envy. Winry smiled at him softly.

Envy grinned at the attention. "So, if you're so smart, do you have a plan to beat Father?"

All eyes turned back to Marcoh, who looked down at the transmutation circle.

"Yes, I think so," he said, "but it's risky. We'll have to test this out on a philosopher stone to ensure it will work when the time comes."

"Are you saying…?" Mei gaped, eyes wide.

Marcoh nodded. "We'll have to lure and kill a homunculus. They are the only beings with philosopher's stones –"

"Are you insane?" Envy said.

"It's the only way to test it," Marcoh replied. "Envy, do you know how we could lure one of the homunculi here – hey, where are you going?"

Envy stood up and turned to walk away. He stopped and looked back at the group sitting on the floor, and said, "If you want to kill yourselves, be my guest."

"Envy!" Winry said. Winry jumped up.

Envy was nearly out the door when Winry grabbed his arm to stop him. He refused to look at her, his stubborn streak getting the best of him in that moment. Instead he looked up at the clouds driving above the horizon. It would snow again tonight.

"Hey, what's got you so wound up?" Winry asked. Her touch was light, gentle. Envy dropped his gaze to the snow.

"You're all idiots if you think just because you have a new toy you can take on a homunculus," he said. "They are shorthanded right now, so the only homunculus who would come out is Pride."

"It's okay to be scared, Envy," Winry said, making him scowl.

He spun around so that he was face to face with her. Behind her Marcoh and Mei got to their feet, ready to defend Winry if need be. Envy snapped, "I'm _not_ scared, human."

"Don't you _dare_ take that tone with me, or the next time I slap you across the face, you won't recover from it!" Winry's fists were balled in her gloves, arms ridged at her sides. She stared up into Envy's violet eyes, and leaned closer to him when she spoke, almost needing to stand on her tip-toes to seem more intimidating.

Marcoh exchanged a look with Mei, and Envy was staring, dumbfounded, at Winry. It took him a moment to recover from her sharp response. He snickered and said, "Wow! I like that side of you!"

"Are you going to help us or not?" Winry said. She put her hands on her hips and frowned up at him.

Envy sighed, and put a hand to his forehead. "I know the right answer to this…" he mocked. "I mean, it's staring me right in the face."

A small smile slipped onto Winry's face. She pushed him, playfully. "Well?"

Envy frowned, and looked over her shoulder at Marcoh. "Pride is dangerous. I've never seen anyone challenge him and live – homunculi included."

"Are you sure it will be him?" Marcoh asked.

"Yeah, all the others are occupied their roles in the plan," Envy replied, eyes darkening with thought. "Wrath wouldn't leave Central, not now that things are getting close; Gluttony is useless and would need a guide; Sloth is still in the tunnel; which leaves only Pride and Greed."

"What about Greed?" Marcoh asked, and Mei jumped up, saying, "That's Ling Yao, isn't it? I saw him in the homunculi's lair when you saved me. Has he gained the means to immortality by becoming an homunculus?"

"Yeah," Envy replied. "I wouldn't worry about him. He usually doesn't take orders from Father for very long. His avarice usually drives him to follow his own goals. I'd bet that bastard's long gone already."

"So, then tell us, Envy," Marcoh said, as Envy approached the group again, "what do you know of Pride's powers and how can we lure him here?"

* * *

They had worked until the dead of night when the snow was falling thickly on the village, and most everyone had already gone to bed. Winry was having trouble keeping her eyes open, and her butt was numb. They had been sitting on the concrete floor of the shack for nearly four hours. Alphonse was finally whole again, and was sitting cross-legged behind Mei, who looked like she was about to fall asleep on the spot.

The only two people who seemed even remotely energetic were Maroch and Envy, who had gone over the strategy a dozen times to make sure everything was in order. Winry had just nodded off and tipped her head onto Envy's shoulder, when she was jolted awake by him saying, "Let's go through it again, just one more time."

Mei groaned and fell back onto Alphonse's lap. "Not again…"

"Let's give it a rest, Envy," Winry said into his shoulder, and hoping he wouldn't get ticked off that she was calling him out in front of the group. He didn't seem to mind, as far as she could tell.

"We can go through it some more in the morning," Marcoh said. He stood up, grunting at the stiffness in his legs.

Winry sighed and started to sit up, when Envy slid his arms under her and lifted her effortlessly off the ground. She leaned her head against his chest as he stood up and started walking out of the shack and down the hill. Distantly she heard Mei let out a little squeal, and figured the young girl was probably swooning.

Snow crunched under Envy's footsteps, and she could feel the chill touches of flakes landing on her face. She heard the wooden panelled door slide against the snow as he opened it. He was setting her down on her bed when she opened her eyes.

At first she assumed he would tuck her in and leave, but he didn't. He closed the door, and came to join her under the covers.

He laid on his back and she curled up to him, under his arm. She settled into him, finding that perfect spot on his chest for her head. She glanced up at his face and saw the red glow of his eyes gently pushing through the darkness as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Not tired?" she asked.

They could barely hear the footsteps of other members of their group heading to bed. The thick snow seemed to muffle the sound around them. Envy was still staring up at the ceiling, and Winry thought he might not have heard her whisper.

Then, he said, "I never thought I would actually face them."

 _Them_. Winry knew intuitively of whom he meant; the homunculi. It was odd of him to voice this thought with her. She could even hear the slight peek of anxiety in his voice.

She reached for his other hand that was resting on his chest and gave it a squeeze.

"You never thought you'd be working with humans either," she said, smiling, "and yet…"

"Tsk, you don't get it," Envy said, making Winry frown. She pulled away from him, sitting herself up on her elbows and looking down at the soft glow of his eyes.

"Then at least explain it," Winry said.

"You don't know them," Envy said, darkly. "The things they do, the things I've done… If you even knew the half of it, you wouldn't want to look at me ever again."

Winry didn't doubt it. She knew little of what the homunculi had actually done, because Edward had kept a lot of information from her. What she did know was that the homunculi had been behind a number of violent outbreaks, murders, and wars. She was naïve if she thought Envy's hands were clean.

"But we're still family." Envy shifted so that he was turned away from her. Winry's eyes were slowly getting used to the darkness and she could barely make out the shapes of his shoulders, the strange circular markings connecting them to the center of his spine.

It had never crossed her mind that the homunculi thought of themselves as family, that the meaning of the word would carry the same weight. But to Envy, that clearly meant something.

She tried to imagine what it would be like to live for hundreds of years with the same group of people, with a family. And then betray them. She thought of Granny and Edward and Alphonse. She thought of Den and the smiling faces of her neighbors in Resembool.

To think that it would be possible to change her entire moral code and everything she had lived for, and come around to face them as their opposition. As their enemy.

She knew she would never be strong enough.

But Envy had done exactly that. And he had done it for her. He had betrayed everything he knew about his long life, just to be with her.

"I love you," Winry whispered into the darkness. The words rolled off her tongue like water, so smooth and perfect. It felt good to say it out loud. She could sense the syllables hanging between them in the silence for what seemed like an eternity.

He rolled on to his back again. She could see the red of his eyes as he stared up into hers.

"What did you say?" he asked. She had never heard him use that tone of voice, piqued with disbelief and soft like he wasn't sure if he ought to ask.

"You know what I said," Winry said, stubbornly.

She was blinded momentarily as Envy fueled the small flame in the lantern, dousing them in light. He was looking up at her, lips parted slightly as he tried to find the words but nothing came out. A strange expression started to surface on his face.

He reached up and drew her down to him. She let him wrap his arms around her tightly as she was pinned under the weight of them with an ear to his chest and her hands underneath her body. She was reminded how heavy his arms were and there was a moment when she realized he seemed to have forgotten to mind his strength.

She gasped and looked up at his face. There were tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes, his mouth in a deep frown. He stared up at the ceiling, not noticing that she was watching him.

She placed her head back on his chest and smiled, softly. She endured the pressure created by the weight of his arms and felt his body shake as he cried silently.

* * *

The next few days were spent burning time. According to Mei, Maroch and Zampano had made contact with the homunculi somehow and set the ball in motion. They would have to wait for a sign that the homunculi had arrived, so in the meantime, they spent some quality time helping out around the town.

Winry had found a place helping the young kids learn in a makeshift classroom at the heart of the village. The chimeras had taken turns getting firewood and running out into the cold to help the hunters carry back heavy loads of game. Marcoh treated the sickly. Yoki entertained the children. And Mei had started teaching Alphonse and Envy alkahestry in the shack on the hill, which from what Winry had witnessed when she dropped off lunch was becoming quite the chore.

"Not like that! Like this! You have to feel the dragons pulse! See, I'm doing it!" Mei exclaimed loudly as Winry dropped off a platter of food for them. Alphonse was screaming back about not knowing what she was going on about, and Envy was giving Mei a deadpanned look.

"You're just pointing at your forehead!" Alphonse snapped, "You're not doing anything!"

Mei sighed heavily and turned to Envy. "You know what I mean, right? You have the philosopher stone inside you, so you know what energy flow feels like! Tell him how to do it, Envy!"

Alphonse and Envy exchanged confused looks.

"Philosopher stone is a different energy, idiot," Envy spat.

"Sorry, to interrupt," Winry said, putting the platter down on the floor next to them. "But you guys look like you could use a break."

"Finally…" Envy reached over to grab a piece of fruit off the plate and had his hand slapped by Mei.

"No breaks until you get this!" she said.

Envy frowned at her. "Did you seriously just slap my hand?"

"Envy, focus!" Mei said.

"I can't focus with you screaming at me, rice girl," Envy yelled back. "Also, I'm hungry. Move!"

He pushed her away easily and grabbed some food off the tray. Mei glare at him, before reluctantly turning to take some food for herself. Alphonse sighed and turned to Winry.

"Any word yet?" he asked.

She shook her head. "None. It probably takes them some time to travel here, like anyone else."

"Pride doesn't need to travel," Envy said between bites of apple. "He's probably here by now, he just needs a vessel to reach us."

"Right, you mean because his body is shadow," Alphonse said, and Winry assumed a conversation about the state of Pride's power had happened between them while she was away.

"Hey!" They looked up to see Zampano running up the hill toward them. "Guys, it's starting! Jerso said he saw someone coming from the South. He has the same colouring as Envy, and he's alone!"

Envy frowned, and Alphonse turned to him. "But I thought you said Pride wouldn't cross the snow like that? He needs a vessel for his shadows!"

"It's not Pride," Envy said, standing. "If it's who I think it is, then we're lucky – I can handle Greed on my own."


End file.
